FIFE – Setting the second longest pre-cast concrete girders in the world will close both directions of Interstate 5 in Pierce and King counties overnight on Friday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 28. This is the first of four consecutive weekends the interstate will be closed overnight between State Route 18 in Federal Way and 54th Avenue East in Fife to build a new bridge and tear down an old one. The remaining overnight closures for I-5 are scheduled for Oct. 4-6, Oct. 11-13 and Oct. 18-20.
In addition, the Sept 27 and 28 weekend work coincides with highway closures in King County on I-405, SR 167 and SR 520. Drivers are urged to prepare now for all of the closures. The I-5 detour route does not have the same capacity as I-5 and alternate routes in the area are limited.
Over the course of the weekend closures, crews working on the SR 167 Completion Project for the Washington State Department of Transportation will set 15 bridge girders over I-5. The girders form the backbone of a new bridge that will carry the new SR 167 tolled expressway over I-5 in Fife. This new bridge will be located immediately north of the existing Wapato Way East bridge. At the same time as the girder setting, other construction crews will tear down the nearby 70th Avenue East bridge, which has been closed to the public since 2021.
Closing times
- 7 p.m. – Lanes in both directions of I-5 begin closing.
- 10:30 p.m. – All northbound lanes are closed.
- 11 p.m. – All southbound lanes are closed.
Saturday reopening times
- 7 a.m. – Northbound lanes begin reopening.
- 7:30 a.m. – Southbound lanes begin reopening.
- 11 a.m. – All lanes in both directions are open.
Sunday reopening times
- 8 a.m. – Northbound lanes begin reopening.
- 8:30 a.m. – Southbound lanes begin reopening.
- Noon – All lanes in both directions are open.
Ramp closure details
Multiple ramps will also close beginning at 8:30 p.m. Ramps reopen by 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays and 9:30 a.m. on Sundays.
- Southbound I-5 exit to Port of Tacoma Road (closed overnight during the first two weekends for girder delivery).
- Southbound I-5 exit to 54th Avenue East.
- Westbound SR 18 and South 348th Street ramp to southbound I-5.
- 54th Avenue East ramp to northbound I-5.
- 54th Avenue East ramp to southbound I-5 (intermittent closures during the first two weekends for girder delivery).
Detour information
Drivers who are headed into the Fife or Port of Tacoma areas are encouraged to detour to SR 99 between SR 18 and 54th Avenue East. All other travelers are strongly encouraged to use alternate routes such as SR 161, 167 and 512. Maps of the local SR 99 detour route and regional alternate routes are available online.
Drivers should also:
- Consider delaying discretionary trips.
- Leave earlier in the evening or later in the morning.
- Allow extra time for traveling the detour or alternate routes, which will have more traffic than usual while I-5 is closed.
About the girder setting and new bridge
Each of the 15 bridge girders that will be set during the first two weekends weigh 277,000 pounds and are 222 feet 9 inches long, spanning the entire width of I-5 at the Fife curve. Multiple cranes must be placed in both northbound and southbound lanes of I-5 to lift and set the girders into place. The girders are manufactured by Concrete Technology Corporation in Tacoma. After leaving the plant, the girders will travel north using the southbound lanes of I-5 from Port of Tacoma Road to the work zone. Traffic entering southbound I-5 from 54th Avenue East will be temporarily halted each time a girder is delivered.
Demolishing an old bridge
To tear down the old 70th Avenue East bridge, crews will spread a protective 6-inch-deep layer of sand over I-5 to protect the roadway. Excavators fitted with claw and jackhammer-like attachments will break and remove pieces of the bridge, dropping them on I-5. Bulldozers and sweepers will push the bridge debris off I-5 in time to open lanes each morning. The bridge has not been open to travelers since 2021, when the new Wapato Way East bridge opened.
Other regional closures Sept. 27-30
In addition, travelers should be aware of around-the-clock weekend closures on northbound I-405 in Renton, southbound SR 167 in Kent, the SR 520 floating bridge between Seattle and Bellevue and the Mercer Street ramps to I-5 in Seattle. More information about these closures is available on the WSDOT website.
SR 167 Completion Project information
The SR 167 Completion Project builds 6 miles of new tolled highway between Puyallup and the Port of Tacoma. The new highway is being built in stages. The portion currently under construction between I-5 and the Port of Tacoma is scheduled to open in 2026. The third stage is scheduled to begin construction in 2025 and construction work on the last stage will begin in 2026. The entire project is planned for completion by 2029.
Puget Sound Gateway Program overview
The SR 167 Completion Project is part of WSDOT’s Puget Sound Gateway Program, which also includes the SR 509 Completion Project in south King County. Combined, the two completion projects finish critical missing links in Washington’s highway and freight network.
