Yes, those huge girders now cross I-5, but more lane closures coming near Fife this week
Those huge girders the state Department of Transportation has been installing over Interstate 5 in Fife over the past three weekends wrapped up one weekend early. The project required the entire closure of I-5 nightly.
“Once they got going and found their rhythm, they were just placing them really quickly,” said WSDOT spokesperson Kris Olsen.
This week, WSDOT is allowing one lane in each direction to sneak through nightly as wooden frames are built on the bridge which will serve the State Route 167 Completion Project in 2026. Then, according to Olsen, months of rebar installation and concrete pouring will follow.
On Monday night, crews reduced traffic to one lane in each direction on I-5 and will continue with the closures into Friday morning. Lane closures begin at 7 p.m. but the full reduction to only one lane doesn’t occur until 11 p.m.
Because the last seven out of 15 girders for the new bridge were placed ahead of schedule, the planned overnight closures for the weekend of Oct. 18-20 have been canceled.
Closure schedule
The following will take place nightly from Tuesday, Oct. 15 to Thursday, Oct. 17:
▪ 7 p.m. — Northbound lanes of I-5 begin closing.
▪ 7:30 p.m. — Southbound lanes begin closing.
▪ 10 p.m.-3:30 a.m. – The 54th Avenue East on-ramp to northbound I-5 is closed.
▪ 11 p.m.-3:30 a.m. – Four northbound lanes between 54th Avenue East and Porter Way are closed.
▪ 11:59 p.m.-4:45 a.m. – Four southbound lanes between Porter Way and 54th Avenue East are closed.
The SR 167 project is building six miles of new tolled expressway between Puyallup and the Port of Tacoma in stages. The portion drivers along I-5 can see is scheduled to open in 2026. The entire project is planned for completion in 2029.
