Drivers headed north on Interstate 5 through Pierce County are getting stuck in heavy traffic this morning, the state DOT reports.
Earlier crashes in Tacoma and near the Interstate 5-state Route 18 interchange in King County have prompted the slow commute.
Heavy backups have been reported from the I-5/state Route 16 interchange to the King-Pierce county line, DOT reported just before 9 a.m.
Traffic is backing up on southbound Interstate 5 because of a crash blocking one lane at Pacific Avenue in Tacoma.
The state DOT reports that drivers are backed up for six miles to Fife.
Troopers are on the scene of the crash.
UPDATE – 1:21 p.m.
The DOT reports the backup extends from the I-5/Hwy. 18 interchange to the Tacoma Dome.
UPDATE – 2 p.m.
The crash has been cleared and the left lane reopened to traffic. The backup remains.
UPDATE as of 9:17 a.m.: The crash has been cleared and left lane reopened. Traffic is still backed up five miles.
UPDATE as of 9 a.m.: The backup is now five miles and growing. Troopers, firefighters and transportation crews are on the scene.
ORIGINAL POST: A three-car crash is blocking the left lane of northbound Interstate 5 near Berkeley Avenue in Lakewood this morning.
Troopers are on the scene, DOT reports.
Traffic is backed up three miles.
UPDATE as of 9:20 a.m.: The light pole has been cleared and the on-ramp has been reopened.
UPDATE as of 8:25 a.m.: The state DOT is reporting the on-ramp from westbound South 56th Street to southbound Interstate 5 is blocked because of a downed light pole.
Troopers are on the scene and DOT crews are en route.
ORIGINAL POST:
We’re getting reports that a light pole is lying across the roadway on the South 56th Street on-ramp onto southbound Interstate 5.
According to reports, a car hit the light pole. No injuries have been reported.
The left lane of northbound and southbound Interstate 5 from Nisqually to DuPont is closed today as DOT crews remove brush.
The closure began at 9:30 a.m. and is scheduled to last until 1 p.m.
All lanes of southbound Interstate 5 in Tacoma will be closed two nights this week as crews work to piece together a new bridge for the state Route 16 Nalley Valley project.
The first closure is from 11 p.m. Tuesday to 4 a.m. Wednesday. The second will be 11 p.m. Thursday to 4 a.m. Friday, the state DOT announced today.
The southbound lanes will be closed near the SR 16 interchange. Detour signs will be in place for drivers.
During the closures, crews will bring in large cranes and install precast concrete sections onto a bridge from northbound I-5 to …
Just a reminder that a new gate for vehicles headed to Joint Base Lewis-McChord is opening today.
The Mounts Gate will be open weekday mornings for authorized users. The goal is to ease some congestion on northbound Interstate 5 from Thurston County into Pierce County and to take pressure off the base’s other gates.
The gate will be open to inbound traffic only from 5 to 8 a.m.
Read a previous story in The Olympian here.
UPDATE: The state DOT reports that there is a three-mile backup from Mounts Road to Nisqually. This is from a four-car crash …
The first carpool lane on Interstate 5 in Pierce County could be available to commuters as soon as Saturday.
Read more here.