Drivers headed south on Interstate 5 to Tacoma Monday and Tuesday evenings should plan extra time in their schedules.
The decommissioned 70th Avenue East bridge over I-5 in Fife will become a “bridge to nowhere” according to the state Department of Transportation.
It’s part of the state Route 167 Completion Project that’s been under construction since 2022 between state Route 509 and I-5. A toll road between SR 509 and I-5 is being built as part of the project.
The new Wapato Way East bridge was built over I-5 in 2021. The old nearby 70th Avenue East bridge at the Fife curve has since been used by construction vehicles.
The bridge must be removed to make room for a new bridge that will carry the future SR 167 tolled expressway over I-5.
On Monday and Tuesday nights, a 75-foot-long section of the old bridge is coming down. The section does not cross any lanes of I-5 but will require the closure of two of the freeway’s five southbound lanes. The lanes will be closed for approximately a 1/2-mile stretch approaching the bridge at milepost 138, beginning at 7:30 p.m. each night.
Both lanes are scheduled to be open by 6 a.m. daily.
The toll road between I-5 and the Port of Tacoma is scheduled to open in 2026.
