Community Transportation

More Tacoma Narrows Bridge lane closures coming this month

Like many 70-somethings, the westbound Tacoma Narrows Bridge is overdue for a joint replacement procedure.  

In this case, it’s not a hip or a knee that needs replacing. It’s three expansion joints that are approaching “the end of their useable life,” according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. 

The delicate operation will require about two weeks of around-the-clock lane closures later this month. The department said it has not determined when the two-week closure will begin. 

More immediately, WSDOT will close the two left lanes of the westbound Narrows Bridge from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. That closure will allow work crews to replace a joint bearing under the bridge deck. 

It is the fourth emergency repair to the westbound Narrows Bridge this year. The bridge is 76 years old. 

An infographic created by the Washington Department of Transportation shows the location of expansion joints on the Narrows Bridge.

Expansion joints

In a detailed blog post on Monday, Sept. 28, WSDOT explained the need for a two-week lane closure. 

Two expansion joints are located at each tower of the bridge. The joints are “steel pieces on the bridge deck that make the ‘thuh-thunk’ sound when you drive over them. …  Like joints on a person, they work together to help the bridge move,” according to WSDOT’s blog post. 

Joint work forced eight of the 10 emergency repairs on the bridge since 2024. WSDOT typically enacts temporary fixes in order to limit lane closure time. But a section of the Tacoma West Joint needs more than a quick fix. 

Repairs to large expansion joints on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in April 2026. Photo by WSDOT

“Installing a new partial joint is a big job and requires two lanes across the bridge to close around the clock for two weeks. During the work the two right lanes of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to Gig Harbor and the Jackson Avenue on-ramp to westbound State Route16 will close,” WSDOT wrote. “This means two weeks of long afternoon commutes and delays for travelers. Many of us use the bridge daily and know what a pain this will be.” 

WSDOT wrote that the work can only be done during daylight hours. Much of the work happens under the bridge deck, “in a confined space while suspended high above the water.” 

The department expects the project to cost about $140,000. 

Replacement on the horizon 

WSDOT plans to completely replace the joints in 2027. That project is in the design phase and the department doesn’t have details about its timing. 

The state budgeted more than $300 million in preservation projects through 2031. Along with replacing the expansion joints, the state plans to paint the deck truss and towers to preserve the steel; repairing some damaged steel; rehabilitating the deck; and cable dehumidification.