Projects on southbound I-5 and SR 167 add up to slowdown

For the Reporter

Wet weather may have offered a temporary reprieve, but drivers should get ready for traffic delays as the first of five weekend-long lane reductions on southbound Interstate 5 in SeaTac, Des Moines and Tukwila start this week.

Drivers can expect traffic delays starting at 8 p.m. Friday, July 15, in the SeaTac and Des Moines area.

And that’s just part of the summer construction in the Puget Sound area’s south end. Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation are also getting set to install a new culvert under State Route 167 in Pacific.

To complete this work, contractor crews must close southbound SR 167 through Pacific for one weekend in late August.

“Both southbound I-5 in Tukwila and southbound SR 167 in Pacific will have restrictions the weekend of Aug. 19-21,” said WSDOT Traffic Engineer Mike Swires. “But, these projects are spaced far apart, and there are many available detours. Still, drivers will need to give themselves additional travel time to reach their destination.”

The two projects are about 18 miles apart. Drivers going south will have several alternative routes to choose from depending on their starting point and destination.

To help drivers create a game plan, WSDOT has published a new #SouthKingSlowdown webpage with detailed information on where lanes will be closed and how to travel around construction.

This weekend: #SouthKingSlowdown on southbound I-5

From 8 p.m. Friday, July 15 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 18, contractor crews plan to reduce southbound I-5 to two lanes between South 188th and South 219th streets to complete concrete panel replacement and crack and seat pavement work. This work is weather-dependent.

WSDOT needs help from drivers to keep traffic moving

• Drivers should plan ahead for construction and create a travel strategy:

• Allow extra time to travel through the work zones or on alternate routes.

• Ride transit, carpool or use other forms of transportation.

• Travel early in the morning before 9 a.m. or later in the evening after 9 p.m., or reschedule discretionary trips.

ª Check the Seattle Traffic page for updated traffic conditions.

Download WSDOT’s mobile app.

Upcoming I-5 lane reduction weekends

• July 22-25: Southbound I-5 will be reduced to two lanes from South 188th Street to South 219th Street.

• July 29-Aug. 1: Southbound I-5 will be reduced to two lanes from South 188th Street to South 219th Street.

• Aug. 12-15: Southbound I-5 will be reduced to two lanes from the Duwamish River Bridge to Klickitat Drive.

• Aug. 19-22: Southbound I-5 will be reduced to two lanes at the Duwamish River Bridge.

The I-5 lane reductions are part of a 13-mile I-5 concrete rehabilitation project. This preservation and improvement work will extend the useful life of the interstate for years to come, creating safer and improved driving conditions for the thousands of travelers who use it each day.

Looking ahead: #SouthKingSlowdown to include SR 167 in Algona/Pacific

During the final scheduled weekend of I-5 work, contractor crews also plan to close a portion of southbound SR 167. From 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19 to 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 22, crews will close all lanes of the highway between Ellingson Road and 8th Street East, as well as the southbound SR 167 off-ramp to 8th Street East.

Although this closure will occur about 18 miles south of the I-5 lane reductions, drivers should plan alternate routes to travel around the projects. Signed detours will be in place.

This work is a part of the SR 167 Southbound HOT Lane Extension project. During the weekend crews will repave 1.5 miles of the highway and complete construction of a new fish-passable culvert.