Work crews will be closing I-5 lanes in east Thurston County in May, June. Here’s why
Road work is expected to cause traffic delays on Interstate 5 in east Thurston County several times in May and June.
The first instance occurred on northbound I-5 near Marvin Road in Lacey from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 1.
Maintenance crews closed the right lane in that area for temporary concrete panel repairs, according to a Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) travel advisory. Travelers were advised to plan ahead for congestion on the freeway as they approach Marvin Road. The northbound I-5 exit to Marvin Road remained open during the road work.
WSDOT says the road work is occurring “as soon as materials and schedules allow.” More repairs are planned to occur overnight on northbound I-5 between Carpenter Road and Marvin Road. The advisory does not state when those additional repairs will occur.
Additional I-5 lane closures are scheduled for Saturday mornings on May 3 and 17 as well as June 7 and 21, according to a separate WSDOT travel advisory. Maintenance crews will reduce northbound 1-5 to two lanes at the Nisqually Bridge from 6 a.m. to noon on those dates.
WSDOT says northbound travelers can expect some delays, especially in the late morning.
The lane closure will allow crews to use an “Under Bridge Inspection Truck” to repair cracks and replace rivets on the bridge. WSDOT says this work should help extend the life of the decades-old bridge.
The northbound Nisqually Bridge was first built in 1937 and then rebuilt in 1982. It was last repainted in 2014 and supports an average of 63,000 vehicles a day.
The public can see real-time traffic information on the WSDOT app and online travel map.
