Massive delays expected on westbound SR 16 across Tacoma Narrows Bridge

Heads up, SR 16 drivers. Upcoming expansion joint replacement is going to cause significant delays across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

The westbound span across the water is 76 years old, and it is in desperate need of repairs. Regular SR 16 drivers have been caught up in emergency repairs for years as the span continues to break down and show its age. The worst spots are the four massive expansion joints on either end of the bridge, right where the towers are located. Eight major emergency repairs have been needed at the joints since 2024.

It’s come time to replace three of them. The fourth, the one closest to Gig Harbor, was replaced a decade ago.

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) spokesperson April Leigh told me the temporary fixes are no longer working.

“Spot fixes, short-term fixes, are becoming increasingly common, and there is a section under the two right lanes near the Tacoma side where those short-term spot fixes will no longer work,” she said.

A partial joint replacement is scheduled for October, and WSDOT will need two full weeks of lane closures to do the job.

“This work is precision work,” Leigh said. “It’s happening underneath the bridge deck, where crews are in harnesses suspended hundreds of feet above the waterline.”

This work must be done during the day, and there is no way to reopen the lanes between shifts.

“We have to cut steel and concrete, remove that partial joint, and then we have to replace it and weld steel together, and then pour new concrete over it,” Leigh said. “We can’t open the lanes overnight or when the work’s not happening. We can’t put a steel plate over where the joint is because the bridge moves.”

A worker conducts repairs on Tacoma Narrows Bridge. (Photo courtesy of WSDOT)

Tacoma Narrows Bridge repairs to bring major delays into 2027

WSDOT doesn’t have the exact closure dates, but the two right lanes will be closed during the work. Once the vendor finishes building the joint, WSDOT will announce the closure dates.

But this partial joint won’t be on the job for long. WSDOT will rip it out next year and replace it with a full new joint. The project will also replace the other two 76-year-old joints on the bridge. This will come with major delays throughout the year.

“Next year’s expansion work to replace those joints is still in the planning stages,” Leigh said. “We won’t know the details about what the traffic control will look like for that for several months.”

But WSDOT is already warning drivers that westbound SR 16 is going to be very difficult to use during this work, starting with the partial joint replacement later this month, and Leigh, who is a regular Tacoma Narrows Bridge user, said it is going to be rough.

“If we could do it another way, we would,” she said.

And 2027 isn’t the end of the work. WSDOT has projects planned through 2031, including painting the deck truss and all four towers.

I’ll get you the closure dates as soon as they are available.

There is also a one-day closure of the two left lanes scheduled for this Saturday. The lanes will be closed near the Gig Harbor side of the bridge from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.

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