A New Exit for Downtown Tacoma
I-5 through Tacoma will look dramatically different after next weekend, weather permitting.
According to a press release from the Washington Department of Transportation, the ramp to downtown Tacoma will begin a full mile south of where it current begins now. Here’s the key paragraph:
The most dramatic change is the relocation of the northbound I-5 City Center off-ramp (exit 133), more than one mile to the south. That means the 25,000 drivers who exit here each day need to be ready to exit sooner, just north of 38th Street and prior to the SR 16 curve.
What will happen to our beloved Exit? Will the number change? Jamie Swift, a spokesperson for WashDOT confirmed for us that Exit133 would keep the same number and not become Exit132. Which is good. Because we were taking it a bit personally there for a second.
(Thanks, Robert, for keeping an eye out on our behalf.)
Filed under: General
13 comments
S sultans007 November 30, 2007
You’re right. “Exit 132” just doesn’t have the same ring to it and what is off of exit 132 isn’t nearly interesting. I also have the feeling that exit 134 is going to start seeing a lot more confused drivers and “U-turners.”
J Jake November 30, 2007
A friend that works at the mall was just asking about the entrance to I-5 /Hwy 16 from 38th. I told her I thought the DOT promised to have it open by the holiday shopping season. Guess this is it finally.
W WesS November 30, 2007
Images of the change (viewed southbound, unfortunately) are linked to my name below:
J Jake November 30, 2007
Looks like a bunch of bottlenecks. So there will only be 2 lanes of thru traffic around the large curve?
T The Gulag November 30, 2007
More like four, two lanes of thru traffic would be Seattle.
J Jake November 30, 2007
Ok from pictures here : http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/PierceCountyHOV/I5_HOV_S48th_Pacific/ex-prop.htm it shows 2 lanes going thru the curve at the top. Then you have 2 merging onto I-5 from Hwy 16 and 2 on the left are he DT Exit.
T The Gulag November 30, 2007
From what I understand, the collector/distributor ramp is essentially a through lane so, okay, it’s three fully through lanes, which was what was there before, except without the HWY 16/downtown exiting and entering crossover traffic. I guess it will help, although I used to use the 38’th st/downtown /HWY 16 enter and exit lanes from the south 56th on-ramp to get downtown before the construction anyway, which is pretty much what the collector/distributor will now do, yet they’re moving a through lane to do so. The biggest northbound change is moving the HWY 16 incoming traffic to the left. which eliminates the crossover traffic right on that eastward curve.
Now in Seattle, although they too have a collector/distributor at I-90/Madison St, there are only two full-time northbound through lanes under the Convention Center.
B Bob November 30, 2007
OMG! Better park some new domain names!
B Broadweezy November 30, 2007
Gulag is correct, the C/D lane acts as a through lane so the lane configuration wouldn’t differ much from its existing condition, except for its location. C/D lanes, by the way, are a wonderful way to escape congestion on the mainline but shhh….keep that a traffic engineering secret
J Jake November 30, 2007
So wouldn’t that almost be the same as Seattle? 2 lanes on the main section and you can take the C/D lanes past the the Madison/James exits back onto I-5?
Most likely people traveling through won’t use the C/D through lane putting more traffic on the 2 general through lanes. Right?
I know I rarely used the old C/D lane to cut through the curve.
K KevinFreitas November 30, 2007
132 and 134 are already taken domain names. If they don’t change Derek and Co. will certainly breathe a collective sigh of relief.
W WesS December 4, 2007
The sign for the new northbound exit (not yet open) calls it Exit 133, in case there was still any doubt.
D Derek staff December 10, 2007
We drove the new exit today… smooth.