Nightly Closures of Westbound Tacoma Narrows Bridge Begin Friday

Nighttime drivers over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge will notice a big change starting Friday.

From 10 p.m., Friday, July 12, through 4 a.m., Monday, July 15, crews with the Washington State Department of Transportation will close the westbound (1950) Tacoma Narrows Bridge to replace a problematic expansion joint.

During that time, State Route 16 traffic will be reduced to two lanes in each direction and both directions will use the eastbound (2007) bridge.

Over the extended weekend, WSDOT will reduce the SR 16 speed limit to 35 miles per hour, and it will close the westbound SR 16 exit to 24th Street Northwest and the 24th Street Northwest on-ramp to eastbound SR 16.

This work had originally been scheduled in April but was postponed pending delivery of the unique expansion joint.

When WSDOT built the 2007 bridge, it included road work specifically designed to accommodate traffic switches between the two bridges. The weekend closure will be the first time WSDOT will enact that configuration, and it was chosen over several nightly westbound closures.

Tolls will continue to be collected in the eastbound direction over the weekend. WSDOT must apply tolls fairly and consistently to generate enough revenue to cover debt payments for the 2007 bridge.

Drivers can check travel conditions and learn about upcoming construction by downloading the WSDOT mobile app, visiting tacomatraffic.com, or by dialing 5-1-1.