Construction to close I-5 south near Nisqually on July 9

Closures of Interstate 5 near the Thurston-Pierce county line have been postponed until the night of July 9.

All of southbound I-5 will be closed from midnight to 4 a.m. July 9. Single-lane closures will take place between 9 p.m. Friday (July 8) and 6 a.m. Saturday, and double-lane closures will occur between 11 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Saturday, according to a news release.

Drivers can expect a full nighttime lane closure on southbound I-5 between Mounts Road overpass and the rail bridge in order to complete the demolition of the concrete rail structure. The rail bridge is being rehabilitated as part of the Point Defiance Bypass project, which reroutes Amtrak Cascades passenger trains to an inland rail line through DuPont, Lakewood and Tacoma.

A detour will be in place.

The Point Defiance Bypass Project includes a new Amtrak passenger train station in Tacoma’s Freighthouse Square, new and upgraded track between Tacoma and DuPont and five reconstructed at-grade crossings, with advanced warning and signal systems.

In other travel news, crossing Interstate 90 from the summit of Snoqualmie Pass to Vantage will be congested because of construction projects this summer.

The heaviest congestion is westbound near Cle Elum from mileposts 84 to 93, where repaving will require a single-lane detour. Drivers can use an alternate route via U.S. Highway 97 to state Route 10.

Another tough spot is the Vantage Bridge, which is down to a single eastbound lane until the end of summer due to bridge painting.

Other spots of construction and delays include:

▪ The Summit of Snoqualmie Pass east near Keechelus Lake (mileposts 54-62)

▪ Easton area (mileposts 67-70)

▪ Ellensburg area (mileposts 106-122)

This story was originally published July 2, 2016 at 4:00 AM with the headline "Construction to close I-5 south near Nisqually on July 9."