Tacoma’s I-5 HOV lanes are opening after more than two decades of work

New I-5 HOV lanes opening in Tacoma

New HOV lanes on I-5 in Tacoma are opening this weekend. Friday is the first of three nights of lane closures to open the HOV lanes connecting SR 16 and Gig Harbor to I-5 and King County.

TACOMA, Wash. - Crews with the Washington State Department of Transportation are opening the new HOV lanes on Interstate 5 through Tacoma this weekend.

The construction work was a 22-year effort.

Crews started the process late Thursday evening, and this was one of three nights of lane closures to open the new lanes connecting State Route 16 and Gig Harbor to I-5 and King County.

The following is WSDOT’s weekend timeline:

Friday morning: Southbound I-5 HOV lanes across the new southbound I-5 Puyallup River Bridge to westbound SR-16 will open.
Saturday morning: Crews will open the northbound I-15 HOV lane from eastbound SR-16 to Port of Tacoma Road.
Sunday morning: The final section of the southbound HOV lane will open from the King County line to 54th Avenue in Fife.

Transportation officials are asking drivers to be aware of crews when traveling through the work zone.

"We want our road crews to go home safely at the end of their shifts," WSDOT said.