Traffic

More delays are coming to southbound I-5 between Thurston, Lewis counties next week

Those commuting between Thurston and Lewis counties Oct. 17 to Oct. 21 should prepare for possible “long delays and backups,” according to the state Department of Transportation.
Those commuting between Thurston and Lewis counties Oct. 17 to Oct. 21 should prepare for possible “long delays and backups,” according to the state Department of Transportation. Courtesy

Travelers using southbound I-5 between Thurston and Lewis counties should expect more delays for an entire work week. It’s been less than two weeks since the area was reduced to one lane for maintenance work, and there’s plenty more to come.

According to a news release from the Washington State Department of Transportation, maintenance crews will be working Oct. 17 to Oct. 21 to repair the driving surface of the highway, which will include sweeping, removing debris and sealing cracks. Portions of I-5 between Maytown and the Thurston/Lewis county line will be reduced to one lane from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the day.

Many of WSDOT’s projects have occurred overnight, but that’s recently changed, according to the release. Driver behavior is safer, and crews and work zone signage are easier to see during the day. So travelers should expect to see more work zones during the day in the future.

WSDOT announced in an updated news release that crews will also be working at night during this period to move things along quicker. From 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Oct. 17 to Oct. 20, portions of the highway in the same area will be reduced to one lane.

Real-time traffic information can be found on WSDOT’s travel map online, as well as their app and on their Twitter account.

This story was originally published October 14, 2022 at 9:03 AM.

Ty Vinson
The Olympian
Ty Vinson covers the City of Olympia and keeps tabs on Tumwater and other communities in Thurston County. He joined The Olympian in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at the Northwest Indiana Times, the Oregonian and the Arizona Republic as a Pulliam Fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription
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