Road closures on I-5 planned for Point Defiance Bypass upgrades

Construction has started on the railroad line between Nisqually and South Tacoma as part of the Point Defiance Bypass project, prompting the need for road closures.

Drivers can expect night lane closures on northbound Interstate 5 between the Mounts Road exit and the rail bridge beginning Monday to Friday. The bridge is being rehabilitated for the rail project that will run Amtrak Cascades passenger trains to an inland rail line through DuPont, Lakewood and Tacoma.

Single-lane closures will occur 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. and double-lane closures will occur 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. The two left lanes will be closed closed late Monday and Tuesday, followed by the two right lanes late Wednesday and Thursday.

The construction work will migrate in the coming months from Tacoma to Nisqually as crews lay new tracks along the corridor and make improvements to five intersections that have at-grade crossings.

Most work will be done on weekends, starting at midnight Fridays and running through 7 a.m. Mondays, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Another road closure is planned Thursday in Lakewood’s Tillicum neighborhood at North Thorne Lane. Tracks will be removed and replaced at the I-5 ramps.

The intersection will be closed to through traffic 8 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Friday and Friday 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday.

Improvements are being done along the Sound Transit right of way. A federal grant is paying for the work.

The work is being done so freight trains can continue to use the tracks during construction.

Other intersections slated for improvement include Clover Creek Drive SW, Berkeley Street SW (as part of the city of Lakewood Madigan access project), 41st Division Drive and Barksdale Avenue.

Construction in the area is expected to be done by spring 2017. Trains could be tested on the route as early as the end of 2016, according to state transportation rail officials.

For information on the Point Defiance Bypass project, see wsdot.wa.gov/projects/rail/pnwrc_ptdefiance.

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This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 5:48 PM with the headline "Road closures on I-5 planned for Point Defiance Bypass upgrades."