Westbound commuters crossing the Tacoma Narrows Bridge face delays of an hour or more after crews began around-the-clock lane closures on the 76-year-old span.

Two of four westbound lanes on State Route 16 are shut down while the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) replaces a deteriorating expansion joint, the agency said in an Oct. 14 press release.

The closures started Saturday, Oct. 24, and are scheduled to last through Sunday, Nov. 8. The Jackson Avenue on-ramp to westbound SR 16 is also closed.

The backups are real. On Monday, Oct. 26, traffic cameras showed lines of vehicles stretching past the Pearl Street interchange, over a mile from the bridge, The News Tribune reported.

WSDOT Tacoma said on X that backups started near Cheney Stadium.

The HOV lane is open to all vehicles during the closure, according to WSDOT.

What's being fixed

Crews are removing a failed section of a large expansion joint near one of the bridge's towers and installing a custom-fabricated replacement piece. The work happens mostly underneath the bridge deck, so drivers passing through the work zone may see little activity, WSDOT said in a September blog post by agency staff April Leigh and Cara Mitchell. Concrete will be poured around the new piece once it is in place.

The agency said the work requires daylight and cannot be done at night because it involves precision work in a confined space suspended above the water.

Three of the bridge's four large expansion joints near its towers have approached the end of their usable life, according to the blog post. Since 2024, WSDOT has made 11 emergency repairs to expansion joints on the westbound bridge. The agency estimated this repair at $140,000.

What commuters should do

WSDOT is advising drivers to travel outside afternoon commute hours, carpool, or work from home when possible. A department spokesperson told The News Tribune that drivers should expect to sit up to an hour or more in traffic. The agency also recommended having a full tank of gas or a fully charged vehicle before making the Tacoma-to-Gig Harbor crossing.

Drivers can check conditions on the WSDOT app or the agency's real-time travel map before heading out. WSDOT also offers email updates for work on Pierce County roads.

Bigger picture

This repair is one of many temporary fixes. WSDOT said it is finding cracks and failures in the large steel joints with increasing frequency. A project to replace the bridge's expansion joints is in design, with construction planned for 2027. WSDOT's press release described the project as refurbishing the joints.

Beyond the joint work, just over $300 million is programmed through 2031 for preservation projects on the westbound bridge, including painting the deck truss and towers within the next five years, according to WSDOT.

More emergency closures are possible before the 2027 project begins.