State meeting with contractor over I-5 debacle in Tacoma

The Washington State Department of Transportation is meeting with the contractor responsible for shifting the southbound lanes of I-5 in Tacoma, which caused massive traffic backups Wednesday morning.

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“We are meeting with the contractor to find out more as to what happened, and to see what adjustments need to be made moving forward,” the state wrote.

Overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning, Skanska, the contractor, temporarily reduced SB I-5 to a single lane near South 38th Street. All lanes were supposed to reopen by 5 a.m. Wednesday.

Instead, work was delayed and all lanes of SB I-5 through Tacoma and from eastbound State Route 16 to SB I-5 didn’t reopen until 9 a.m., according to the state.

At least part of the problem may have to do with a crash that occurred in the work zone overnight, according to WSDOT.

The delayed opening caused traffic to back up to the King County/Pierce County boundary.

“What happened this morning certainly wasn’t what anyone wanted,” the Washington State Department of Transportation tweeted.

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The work the contractor did wasn’t small in scope. The three southbound through-lanes of I-5 were moved to the southeast immediately adjacent to northbound I-5. Barriers separate the two directions of traffic.

The changes will give crews space to as the state continues its regional HOV program.

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