Eight weekends of construction between Des Moines, Tukwila coming to I-5

The pavement on I-5 between Des Moines and Tukwila hasn’t received significant treatment since its installment  more than 50 years ago.

It has served more than double its expected lifespan, and it’s time to replace it.

Last summer, the state repaved and replaced concrete panels in the southbound direction. This summer, crews are working on the northbound lanes.

“We’re replacing concrete panels,” said Tom Pearce, with the Washington State Department of Transportation. “We’re going to be grinding the old concrete to level it off so there are no more ruts. We’re going to be doing concrete repair. We’re going to be replacing expansion joints.”

A four-mile stretch of northbound I-5 is going to get a complete makeover, but to make that happen the state will have to shut down portions of the freeway for eight weekends. The first weekend of construction is scheduled for June 2-5.

“We’re going to take the following week off because it’s University of Washington graduation. Then we’re going to go five straight weekends, including the weekend prior to Independence Day,” Pearce said.

There will also be two additional weekend closures later this summer or fall to replace expansion joints on the Duwamish River Bridge.

The bottom line is that during these weekend closures, I-5 is going to be reduced to two lanes inside the construction zones. This caused 20- to 40-minute delays last year when similar work was being done in the southbound direction. Pearce said drivers need to be prepared.

Traveling earlier or later in the day, he said, will help you avoid the biggest backups.

Highway’s 167, 509 and 99 took the brunt of the diverted traffic last year, so drivers should expect similar traffic patterns this year.

This work is weather-dependent.

Cox Media Group