50 mph returns to 60 mph on Interstate 5 through Tacoma. But not all of it
The 60 mph speed limit is returning to Interstate 5 in Tacoma next week. Sort of.
Drivers making their way through the multiple construction zones through Tacoma and Fife on I-5 have been bound by a 50 mph speed limit since April. The temporary reduction was a reaction to the numerous wrecks along that stretch, many involving big rigs.
The roughly 5-mile 50 mph zone was put in place from South 56th Street in Tacoma to the Port of Tacoma Road in Fife.
By Dec. 20, the speed limit will return to 60 mph on most of I-5. However, on stretches north of Interstate 705, the 50 mph restriction will remain well into 2021 as HOV lanes and new bridges over the Puyallup River are completed.
The remaining 50 mph zones will be:
▪ Southbound I-5: From Port of Tacoma Road to I-705.
▪ Northbound I-5: From M Street to Port of Tacoma Road.
Drivers shouldn’t ignore 50 mph signs in advance of the change.
“People need to drive whatever posted speed is out there,” said state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Cara Mitchell.
This story was originally published December 15, 2019 at 7:00 AM.
