On weeknights between Weds., Dec. 10 and Fri., Dec. 19, crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will bore holes in and along Portland Avenue to locate underground utilities. The work will require periodic single-lane closures in both directions of Portland Avenue from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. between 27th and 28th streets (under Interstate 5). One lane will always remain open in each direction during the work.

Each bored hole will be approximately 8 inches in diameter and will extend on average 42 inches deep. The holes will be patched before the lanes reopen each morning, and the activity should have minimal impacts to street traffic. Design engineers will use the information to design future roadway expansion.

Motorists may also see crews boring holes during daytime hours on those same days near Bay Street, but no lane closures will take place during the day.

This work is being performed as part of WSDOT’s Tacoma/Pierce County HOV Program, a $1.4 billion program to extend HOV lanes into Pierce County. WSDOT is currently funded to construct 39 HOV lane miles on SR 16 and I-5. WSDOT has future plans to build 40 more HOV lane miles on I-5, SR 16 and SR 167 when more funding becomes available.