Update: Westbound traffic backup cleared on Tacoma Narrows Bridge Friday evening
Second update:
Washington State Patrol spokesperson John Dattilo confirmed in an email that the traffic backup was residual from the pedestrian incident earlier in the day.
“We responded to a person in crisis, who was taken to a local hospital for evaluation,” he wrote.
First update:
The Washington State Department of Transportation map shows traffic cleared on the bridge as of 7:17 p.m. Friday evening.
Original post:
Westbound state Route 16 traffic is backed up from Tacoma, across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and into Gig Harbor on Friday evening.
A pedestrian was reported in the roadway on the bridge’s east end beginning at 3:54 p.m. today, causing the right lane to be blocked, according to a post on the WSDOT Tacoma X account.
As of 6:18 p.m., the Washington State Department of Transportation map indicated stop-and-go traffic from about milepost 4 to milepost 12 as of 6:18 p.m. The backup extends about 1 mile into the Tacoma side of the bridge and 3.5 miles into the Gig Harbor side.
It’s not immediately clear what caused the traffic backup. The News Tribune has reached out to Washington State Patrol and is waiting to hear a response.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published August 16, 2024 at 6:37 PM.
