South Sound News

New metered I-5 onramps activated between Fife and Tacoma

FIFE, Wash. — Drivers on southbound I-5 through Fife and Tacoma will notice new metered onramps activated Tuesday.

The Washington State Department of Transportation says it’s trying to reduce congestion it says is among the more troublesome than any southbound I-5  traffic through the Fife curve into Tacoma.

When the metered ramps are activated, they'll force drivers to pause at onramps to let a trickle, instead of an entire flow, of drivers onto the freeway.

WSDOT is activating four new onramp meters at interchanges between 54th Avenue in Fife to Portland Avenue in Tacoma where they say traffic normally slows to a crawl during rush hour.

TRENDING NOW:

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP

The ramp meters are traffic signals that read and respond to real-time conditions on the freeway and ramp, and then time themselves out to allow gaps between cars coming onto I-5.

WSDOT says they reduce collisions by at least 30 percent.

On I-405 in Renton, they say metered ramps save an average of 3 to16 minutes per trip.

Here are the ramps affected starting Tuesday morning:

  • 54th Ave E. in Fife to SB I-5
  • Port of Tacoma Road
  • East Bay Street
  • Portland Avenue

These are intersections in Pierce County. WSDOT says it will watch the data from the ramps and then adjust them as needed.