The westbound Tacoma Narrows Bridge is down to two lanes around the clock through Sunday, Nov. 8. The closures began Saturday, Oct. 24, at 5 a.m. and affect drivers traveling from Tacoma toward Gig Harbor. The westbound HOV lane is open to all drivers, leaving it and one regular lane available across the bridge.
The Jackson Avenue on-ramp to westbound SR 16 is also closed during the work. WSDOT warns that afternoon trips across the bridge could take an hour or more, and congestion may spill onto nearby Tacoma streets. The department has advised travelers to allow extra time and consider skipping trips they don’t need to make.
Crews are replacing a deteriorated section of an expansion joint—the steel connection that lets the bridge move as temperatures and traffic shift. WSDOT says the joint has needed repeated emergency repairs; this work is a partial replacement to address the immediate problem, with more extensive joint replacement planned for 2027.
For people who cross the bridge regularly, the impacts reach beyond the drive itself. Gig Harbor Now spoke with a local business owner adjusting work assignments around the traffic and a college instructor who moved evening coursework online. Read Gig Harbor Now’s report for more on how commuters and businesses are adapting—and what the closure means for the bridge’s longer repair plan.
Discover more of Tacoma in today’s Tacoma Local Minute. Catch the rest of today’s local news, events, and updates in the full issue here.
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