Pierce County drivers: Expect delays during more repairs on Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Drivers traveling to Gig Harbor and Kitsap County across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge this weekend should expect traffic delays, as crews make more repairs to the aging westbound span.
The two right lanes approaching the westbound side of the bridge will be closed from 8 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15. The Jackson Avenue on-ramp to westbound state Route 16 will also be closed, according to a news release from the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The HOV lane will be open to all drivers during this time, the release says.
Crews will be repairing an expansion joint in the bridge’s surface. It’s a different joint than the one the Washington State Department of Transportation fixed in May, the release said. The May repairs were made after crews found damage during a routine inspection, closing lanes for several days.
“Once the expansion joint is repaired, crews will pour new concrete,” the release said. “The concrete needs time to cure. Travelers will see lane closures when there appears to be little or no activity in the work zone.”
The westbound bridge also needed repairs in January, June and September, The News Tribune reported. The westbound span was built in 1950, making it 74 years old, according to a WSDOT blog post. About 45,000 vehicles cross it each day.
The bridge’s age is catching up to it, the WSDOT blog post explains. Its list of issues include expansion joints that need to be replaced, rust and corrosion, damaged rivets and bolts, and other elements that need upgrades or improvements. Maintenance crews perform weekly inspections and maintenance for both spans of the bridge and the Bridge Preservation Office performs engineering inspections at designated 1-year, 2-year and 5-year intervals.
315 of WSDOT’s 3,384 bridges were 80 years or older in June 2023, and 213 were in poor condition. A lack of funding limits the repairs the department can make right away for their aging bridges, the blog post says.
The eastbound span from Gig Harbor to Tacoma was built in 2007, and tolls for that side of the bridge are helping WSDOT repay the cost to build it. The tolls don’t pay for maintenance on the westbound span, according to the WSDOT blog post.
Travelers are asked in the news release to build in extra travel time and consider combining or postponing trips where possible. WSDOT also advises drivers to slow down near the work zones, be kind and pay attention for the safety of other vehicles and employees at the site.
WSDOT sends email updates about work on roads they maintain in Pierce County that travelers can sign up for. The department also provides real-time traveler information in their app and Travel Center Map.
