Date:  Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Contact: Troy Watts, WSDOT Field Engineer, 253-589-6100
              Jamie Swift, WSDOT Communications, 360-507-4261

TACOMA – Getting from the Tacoma Narrows to Interstate 5 is going to take more time the next few years due to traffic changes required to build a new State Route 16 Nalley Valley viaduct.

“Traffic flow through Tacoma will bog down during construction, but the local economy gets a boost as this project creates more than 200 full-time construction-related jobs over the next three years,” said WSDOT Olympic Region Administrator Kevin Dayton.

Thursday morning, Feb. 12, eastbound lanes shift toward the median between Union Avenue and the viaduct. On Friday, Feb. 13, two Sprague Avenue ramps close. The new alignment and ramp closures – which allow crews to demolish bridges and build new ones – will contribute to slowdowns and increased traffic congestion.

WSDOT plans to help manage traffic flow on eastbound SR 16 during construction by activating, for the first time, ramp meters at five on-ramps – Jackson, Pearl, Orchard, Center and Union.

“We expect traffic flow to suffer as a result of the Sprague Avenue ramp closures, the tighter roadway and the visual distraction caused by construction activities,” Dayton said.

“The ramp metering will help the flow of traffic on the mainline,” Dayton said, “but drivers should plan for delays through the duration of the Nalley Valley project.”

Thursday morning, Feb. 12, commuters will travel on a new eastbound SR 16 alignment with narrower lanes and shoulders between Union Avenue and the viaduct. The on- and off-ramps connecting Sprague Avenue and eastbound SR 16 are scheduled to close early Friday morning, Feb. 13.

The 15,000 vehicles that use the two Sprague ramps each day will need to disperse to alternate routes and ramps, including Union Avenue – where traffic volumes could nearly double.

The eastbound SR 16 ramp to Sprague Avenue stays closed through fall 2011. The Sprague Avenue on-ramp to eastbound SR 16/Interstate 5 remains closed until completion of the Eastbound Nalley Valley project.

The Sprague Avenue ramps connected to westbound SR 16 close later this year.

This $184 million project – funded primarily by the 2003 gas-tax funding package – eliminates the weave of traffic where vehicles from I-5 change lanes in order to merge onto SR 16 or exit at Sprague Avenue.

Project information online: http://www.tacomatraffic.com/.

 

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