Politics & Government

Smoother Sailing On Westbound Highway 16 Viaduct Begins This Weekend

The $120 million project's completion means southbound cars on Interstate 5 won't have to weave between lanes just to exit, and northbound will cross the freeway via a bridge that connects westbound.

Navigating Nalley Valley is expected to get a lot easier Saturday when the state cracks one of the biggest Interstate 5 bottlenecks in the South Sound.

The westbound state Highway 16 exit will finally open, marking a milestone for the Washington State Department of Transportation’s work to unclog the congested Nalley Valley Viaduct.

(Click here to read the state's statement on the project)

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The completion and opening of the $120 million project means southbound I-5 traffic will no longer have to weave between lanes –often into a line of stopped cars – just to travel west.

It also will allow motorists headed northbound on I-5 to drive on a bridge that stretches over the freeway and onto Highway 16.

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The westbound Highway 16 exit to South Sprague Avenue will also open, giving motorists a quick exit toward Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood that they enjoyed before the project began three years ago.

Finally, the temporary configuration of 38th Street will also end. (Click here to visit the state's website)

“This project removes both the worst bottleneck and weave in the South Sound area,” said Kevin Dayton, WSDOT regional administrator. “There was definitely some pressure on the system because of the work necessary to accomplish this milestone. Drivers paid attention, remained patient and stuck with us – and we are truly grateful for this.”

Motorists, particularly those coming from Gig Harbor and the Kitsap Peninsula, might have thought that their traffic troubles were over with the opening of the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 2007.

But freeing up the cars over the Tacoma Narrows meant traffic would move congestion to the viaduct.

Sorry, drivers headed eastbound, but you’re headaches aren’t over. Work on eastbound Highway 16 – the second phase of the work – begins this fall and is expected to last three years. The work involves building a new viaduct and replacing the exit to South Sprague Avenue.

(Click here to visit the state's description of the project)

Two years ago, WSDOT learned that it had made an error in the future eastbound ramp’s design, which forced it to tear down the ramp and rebuild it. The mistake cost the state $890,000, and that’s not including labor costs.

In 2020, the state is scheduled to construct HOV lanes that will connect directly with I-5.

That may sound like a ways off, but Saturday’s opening should be a relief, whether you’re driving from South Tacoma or downtown Tacoma.

We’re not completely out off the traffic mess yet, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel, er, viaduct.

 

Quick numbers about the Westbound Nalley Valley Viaduct project

$120 million: the project’s costs

10: number of bridges built for the project

77: number of piers underneath the project used to complete the project

7: number of acres that the work covers


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