Washington State Department of Transportation announcement.
This summer and fall, lanes were narrowed and shifted toward the median in both directions of I-5 through Fife to allow crews to begin pile driving work to widen the existing Hylebos Creek bridges and temporary widening of I-5 to the outside in preparation for a traffic shift of all lanes by winter 2023. This traffic shift is needed to establish a construction work zone in the median area of I-5. Construction crews installed changeable message signs to warn travelers about potential slowdowns on northbound and southbound I-5.
In July, crews also began installing high visibility fencing in the fields just north of the Interurban Trail parking lot in preparation for embankment work to construct the new interchange at I-5. Since then, over 166,000 cubic yards of structural fill material has been delivered to the site – that’s equivalent to nearly 50 Olympic-sized swimming pools filled with dirt! Crews completed this embankment in October and hydroseeded in preparation for winter weather. Now, the team is working on embankment activities between 12th Street East and SR 99, and have installed 16,000 cubic yards of fill material through November.
This winter, crews will begin building new bridges on I-5 that will cross the relocated Hylebos Creek as part of the Project’s Hylebos Riparian Restoration Program in Fife. By February 2023, people who travel on I-5 will need to reduce their speeds to 50 mph while driving through active work zones due to reduced lane and shoulder widths and limited sight distances through the traffic lane shift. In spring 2023, travelers on I-5 will experience temporary orange lane lines that identify construction work zones. The orange striping is a new strategy to help travelers follow lane shifts and heighten driver awareness traveling through work zones. When driving through an area with orange striping, drivers should follow the orange lane markers and remain aware of active work zones.
People traveling and living near Hylebos Creek west of I-5 may experience daytime construction noise over the next few months. Construction crews will continue to construct the new expressway embankment, begin bridge construction at 12th Street E., and relocate utilities.
Want to learn more?
Keep an eye out for our SR 167 Completion Project – Stage 1b Online Open House, launching through the WSDOT engage platform on January 18, 2023. For access to the online open house, check out the SR 167 Project webpage, or WSDOT’s engage platform. Be among the first to watch our newest SR 167 project overview video and learn more about work on the SR 167 Completion Project to build the following improvements:
- A new two-mile highway that will link I-5 to SR 509 near the Port of Tacoma.
- A new diverging diamond interchange (DDI) over I-5 connecting it to the future SR 167 Expressway.
- Approximately 150-acres of wetland and stream restoration and improvements.
- New local access interchange at 54th Avenue and new connections to SR 509.
- Widening of SR 99 from the new roundabout through the existing 70th Avenue East intersection.
- A new 2.5-mile shared-use path from SR 99 to Alexander Avenue East and Taylor Way.
Visit the project website for more information or call our hotline at 253-220-5009. Interested in a presentation to your civic group? Please reach out to schedule a briefing via email! Email us at SR167CompletionProject@wsdot.wa.gov.
