10-mile backups, 2-hour delays expected on a local stretch of I-5 next week

People traveling through Thurston and Lewis counties next week should expect 10-mile backups and significant delays as road work will reduce northbound Interstate 5 to one lane during the day.

Lanes will be reduced on I-5 at the Lewis and Thurston County line so crews can repair the roadway surface.

According to a news release from the Washington state Department of Transportation, the freeway’s northbound lanes will be reduced to one lane from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, June 24 to June 27.

The lane reductions will be in two-mile sections from the Lewis County line to Maytown throughout the week.

WSDOT recommends travelers consider rescheduling optional trips. If travel through the area can’t be avoided, WSDOT recommends adding two hours of extra time to your commute, and ensuring your car has plenty of gas or charge.

The roadway repairs will involve crews filling gaps in the surface of the roadway and fixing potholes. Crews need warm and dry conditions to do the repairs. All work is weather dependent and could be rescheduled, WSDOT says.

This story was originally published June 21, 2024 at 10:34 AM.

Ty Vinson

The Olympian

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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