‘Significant congestion’ expected on I-5 at DuPont, JBLM this weekend. Here’s why
Travelers are advised to plan ahead for overnight lane closures on Interstate 5 at DuPont on Friday and Saturday.
Construction crews will begin closing I-5 lanes at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and only one lane will be open by 10 p.m. in both directions, the Washington state Department of Transportation shared in a Thursday news release. Lanes will begin reopening at 6 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The same lane closures are planned to occur again overnight on April 11 and 12. WSDOT says the lane closures are expected to create “significant congestion” for people traveling on I-5 between Tacoma and Olympia.
Due to the anticipated traffic impacts, WSDOT recommends travelers add at least one hour of extra travel time to their plans. People who need to commute for work are advised to avoid the scheduled road work if possible.
Lastly, WSDOT is asking those with discretionary travel plans to consider postponing or rescheduling their trips.
The closures will allow Atkinson Construction crews to place support beams for a new overpass that’s part of the I-5 Mounts Road to Steilacoom-DuPont Road Corridor Improvements project.
This $233.3 million project involves rebuilding the Steilacoom-DuPont Road, Exit 119, interchange and extending I-5 high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, also known as carpool lanes, to Mounts Road.
“The new overpass creates enough space to extend the I-5 HOV lanes further south into DuPont and provides increased vertical clearance over the interstate to meet current standards,” WSDOT shared in an online open house.
The purpose of the project is to help “relieve chronic traffic congestion and improve mobility” along I-5 near Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), according to WSDOT.
Construction on this project began in 2023 and is expected to continue through 2026.
The public can check the WSDOT statewide travel map for updates on traffic and road work.
This story was originally published April 3, 2025 at 10:59 AM.
