Heads up for this Halloweekend – construction crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will close up to four southbound lanes of I-5 on Saturday night, Oct. 28, 2023.

At least one lane will always remain open to traffic.

During the closure, crews will shift I-5 lanes to the east to create a new work zone on the right-hand side of southbound I-5.

The new work zone will be used to build the next section of the new Veterans Drive Tunnel.

This work is part of the SR 509 Completion Project. Once complete, the new Veterans Drive Tunnel will improve connectivity between I-5, Military Road South, Veterans Drive, SR 516, and the Kent valley.

Lane closure information

Saturday, Oct. 28, through the morning of Sunday, Oct. 29:

  • 11 p.m. – Southbound lanes begin closing.
  • 11:59 p.m. – All but one southbound lane of I-5 between South 272nd Street and SR 516 are closed to traffic.
  • 6 a.m. – Southbound I-5 lanes begin reopening. All general purpose lanes reopen by 9:30 a.m. and the HOV lane will reopen by 11 a.m.
  • Drivers may also encounter rolling slowdowns after 11:59 p.m.

This work is weather dependent and may be rescheduled in the event of poor weather.

Photo of interior of under-construction Veterans Drive Tunnel courtesy WSDOT.

Know before you go

Before heading out the door, travelers can find the latest information on the WSDOT app, the real-time travel map, or by subscribing to WSDOT’s email and text alerts.