Friday morning marked another milestone in a years-long project to improve I-5 through Tacoma.
After a two-year closure, McKinley Way over I-5 reopened. The overpass closed the summer of 2016, when contractor crews working for the state demolished and rebuilt it to make way for additional lanes on I-5.
"We truly appreciate the patience people showed while detouring around this closure," state project engineer Gaius Sanoy said. "This is a huge milestone signaling that we're reaching the end of this project."
But the project isn't over.
Construction to build a new southbound I-5 bridge across the Puyallup River is slated to begin in February. Crews will demolish and replace the L Street overpass spanning I-5, as well as finish replacing the concrete pavement on I-5 between McKinley Way and Portland Avenue.
Once the projects are complete in 2021, drivers will have a continuous HOV corridor between Gig Harbor and north of Seattle.
The state has been working on the HOV program in Tacoma and Pierce County for nearly 20 years. Seventeen projects began in 2000.
