In Washington State, I-5 runs from the Interstate Bridge across the Columbia River at the Oregon-Washington state line to The International Peace Arch at Blaine on the British Columbia Canada-Washington State USA border. I-5 replaces US 99 as the main north-south highway in Washington State. The Washington State portion of I-5 is 276.62 miles long.
The US 99 corridor in Washington State was added to the Interstate System by Congress in 1944. The money to actually build the Interstate System was appropriated by Congress as part of the 1956 federal aid highway bill. The Washington State Legislature had approved the sale of bonds in 1951 to start upgrading the US 99 corridor to a 4 lane highway. The 4 lane additions to US 99 were built as partially controllled access expressways and were later upgraded to fully controlled access freeways using Interstate funds. The Interstate route nubering system was devised by AASHO (now AASHTO) in 1957. The US 99 Interstate corridor in Washington State was assigned the number 5.
Washington State did not use exit numbers until 1973. I'll use exit numbers to describe the termini of various sections of highway even though exit numbers were not yet in use when earlier sections of I-5 and US 99 opened to traffic.
Oregon State Line to Exit 7
The northbound Interstate Bridge across the Columbia River was the first section of I-5 opened to traffic. When the bridge was completed in 1917, the highway was not yet called I-5 or even US 99. The bridge was originally owned by Multnomah and Clark(e) Counties and was operated as a toll bridge. The bridge was designated as part of US 99 in 1926. In the later 1920s, the bridge became state owned and the tolls were removed.
A parallel span was opened to traffic in 1958. Upon completion of the newer span, the older span was closed for about 18 months for renovation and the newer span was temporarily used as a two-way 4 lane bridge. When the older span was reopened, the older bridge became 3 lane northbound and the newer span 3 lane southbound.
The 4 lane Vancouver Freeway from the north end of the Interstate Bridge to Exit 3 opened to traffic in the mid 1950s. This freeway was widened to 6 lanes and upgraded to Interstate standards with longer exit and entrance ramps, and a center guardrail in the late 70s-early 80s.
I-5 from Exit 3 to Exit 7 opened to traffic as a 4 lane freeway in 1962. The Exit 5 interchange was added in the mid 1990s. This was one of the first single-point urban interchanges (SPUIs) in Washington State. The interchange made provisions for the addition of 2 more freeway lanes. I-5 from Exit 3 to Exit 5 was widened to 6 lanes in the early 2000s. This widening included the rebuilding of the Exit 3 and Exit 4 interchanges. The freeway widening from Exit 5 to Exit 7 is underway in 2004 and should be completed in late 2005 or in 2006.
Exit 7 to Exit 22
The first two lanes of I-5 from Exit 7 to Exit 22 opened to traffic in 1940 or 1941. The bridges across the East Fork Lewis River and main channel Lewis River are dated 1940. This section of highway was widened to 4 lane in the early 1950s. Interchange replaced the grade crossings at Exits 10, 15, and 22 in the early to mid 1960s. The freeway was widened to 6 lane and upgraded to full interstate standards around 1970. The older roadway from Exit 7 to the north side of the East Fork Lewis River is now northbound I-5. Between the two branches of the river the older roadway switches to the southbound side.
Exit 22 to Exit 36
The first two lanes of newer generation US 99 were extended northerly from Woodland past Kalama to the Kalama River in the later 1940s. Two more lanes were added in the early to mid 1950s. When the highway was upgraded to 6 lane freeway in the early 1970s, the southbound lanes along the bluffs north of Woodland were built on fill in the Columbia River to the west of the Seattle-Portland mainline railroad tracks with the racks running down the middle of the freeway.
The 1929 Kalama River Bridge was converted to 2 lane northbound when a parallel span was opened to traffic in 1954 for southbound traffic. A four lane roadway was graded along Carrols Bluff north of the Kalama River as a replacement for the original US 99 roadway up on the bluff. The construction included moving the adjacent railroad tracks out onto fill west of the new highway. The first two lanes of this roadway at the base of the bluff opened around 1950. Two additional lanes were paved just a year or two later.
Exit 36 to Ostrander
The Exit 36 interchange is sometimes called the Longview Wye. The interchange itself replaced a grade level intersection in the early 1960s. The first 2 lanes of a US 99 expressway bypass of Kelso were opened to traffic around 1949 Two additional lanes were added in the early 1950s. The Kelso bypass was upgraded to a six lane freeway in 1981. For the most part, the freeway is a completely separate roadway from the earlier expressway between Exits 36 and 39. Two lanes of the former expressway including the northbound expressway bridge across the Coweeman River now function as a frontage road to the east of the freeway. The completion of this section of freeway in 1981 eliminated the last grade crossing on I-5 between Seattle and Portland.
Ostrander to Castle Rock
The Ostrander to Castle Rock 4 lane US 99 expressway opened to traffic in the early 1950s. This section of highway was upgraded to a 6 lane freeway around 1973.
Castle Rock to Foster Creek
The 1935 vintage 4 lane US 99 bridge across the Toutle River north of Castle Rock replaced an earlier 2 lane US 99 bridge. The highway approaching the 4 lane bridge was only 2 lane, however, until the 4 lane US 99 expressway was opened in the early 1950s from Castle Rock to the vicinity of Foster Creek near the Cowlitz-Lewis County line. In the late 1960s two parallel 3 lane tied arch bridges were built across the Cowlitz River as part of a 6 lane I-5 freeway. I believe that the 1935 bridge was not used as part of I-5 because the southern approaches were quite curvy. Also, a few thousand feet of the 4 lane highway just north of the bridge did not have access control. Along with the new Cowlitz bridges, I-5 was widened to 6 lane to the top of the hill a couple of miles south of the Lewis County line. Rest areas at the top of the hill were added to the freeway at this time.
Foster Creek to Exit 79
With the completion of the 4 lane divided US 99 expressway from Foster Creek to Exit 79 in the mid 1950s, US 99 became a 4 lane highway from Portland to Centralia. When first opened, the expressway had grade crossings at some junctions and interchanges at others. By the late 1950s, Interstate funds were being used to replace some of the busier at-grade intersections with interchanges. By the mid 1970s all of the at-grade intersections had been replaced by interchanges or grade separations. Over time the entrance and exit ramps at the older interchanges were lengthened. Some of the low clearance bridges were replaced by new higher clearance bridges. Other than being resurfaced from time to time, the 4 traffic lanes have not changed except that uphill truck lanes were added in three places.
Exit 79 to Exit 88
The section of US 99 expressway from Exit 79 northerly to either Exit 82 or Exit 88 opened a year or two before the expressway from Foster Creek to Exit 79. A connector from Exit 79 to the pre-expressway US 99 was built in the early 1950s. This connector was originally called National Avenue Extension but was renamed Chamber of Commerce Way in the 1990s. Chamber Way includes a bridge across the railroad tracks between the older and newer US 99 routes. When the expressway was fist extended north from the Foster Creek area to Exit 79, there was only an at-grade intersection at the junction of the expressway and the connector. The Exit 79 interchange was built in the late 1950s as one of the earliest projects to upgrade the US 99 expressway to Interstate freeway standards.The interchanges at Exits 80 and 81 have existed since the US 99 expressway first opened. Ramps at these interchanges have been lengthened, however, and the original grade separation at exit 82 has been replaced by a longer one. A grade crossing between Exits 82 and 88 was replaced by a bridge that crosses I-5 and the adjacent railroad tracks. The Exit 88 at-grade intersection was replaced by an interchange. These two changes were made around 1968.
Exit 88 to Exit 102
The 4 lane US 99 expressway from Exit 82 to Exit 102 opened in two stages. The highway was built from Exit 88 to Exit 99 in the mid 1950s. A year or so later, the expressway was extended north to Exit 102. This later extension completed a 4 lane route from Portland to Seattle. The intechange at Exit 95 was built as part of the original expressway. The Exit 99 interchange and some grade separations were completed in the late 1960s, upgrading the expressway from Exit 88 to Exit 102 to a freeway. Rest areas were added to I-5 between Exit 88 and Exit 95 in the late 1960s. The Exit 95 ramps were lengthened and the northbound interchange bridge was widened to 3 lanes. The highway starting just north of Exit 95 to Exit 99 was widened to 6 lanes in the early 2000s. I believe that the highway had been widened to 6 lanes from Exit 99 to Exit 102 circa 1990. Exit 101 at Airdustrial Way, now Tumwater Blvd, was added circa 1980.
Exit 102 to Exit 109
The 4 lane Olympia Freeway from Exit 102 to Exit 109 was opened to traffic on December 12, 1958. Cosnruction had started from the southern end of the freewa in 1955. Earlier projects along this route were funded with bond money but later projects were the first on I-5 in the state to be paid for with Interstate funds. The US 101 expressway, now freeway, extending west from I-5 for 6 miles to Mud Bay opened at the same time as the Olympia Freeway.
The freeway was widened to 6 lanes from Exit 102 to Capitol Lake in the early 1990s and from Capitol Lake to Exit 109 in the late 1980s. As part of the widening, the original concrete piers of the Capitol Way (old US 99) bridge over I-5 were replaced with a steel arch to provide more horizontal clearance for the additional I-5 lanes.
Exit 109 to Exit 116
I-5 from Exit 109 to Exit 114 opened as a 6 lane freeway in 1968. This section of freeway eliminated the last traffic signal between Seattle and Portland. At the same time, the freeway was extended to Exit 116 using the 1936 vintage US 99 Nisqually River bridge for 3 lanes of northbound traffic and a new span for 3 lanes southbound. The bridge constructed in 1936 had opened to 4 lane 2 way traffic in 1937 along with Martin Way from Olympia to the bridge and the 4 lane highway from the bridge to the future Exit 116. this bridge had concrete trestle approaches. The 1968 bridge had fill approaches. The 1936 bridge was closed for several moths in 1982-83 for renovation. The original approaches were replaced by fill. The 1968 bridge was temporarily used for 4 lanes of two way traffic in the interim. I believe that the interchange at Exit 116 was built in 1968.
Exit 116 to Exit 124
The I-5 freeway from Exit 116 to Exit 124 was built on top of old US 99 through Fort Lewis. Originally a two lane road, US 99 through Fort Lewis had been widened to 4 lanes in the later 1930s. At first there were grade crossings in this area but there were no private driveways since this section of highway passed through federal government land.
The highway from Exit 116 to Exit 120 was upgraded to a 4 lane freeway in 1957. The interchange at Exit 120 had been built as a cloverleaf without collector-distributor lanes in the mid-1950s. A year or two later, the highway from Exit 120 to Exit 124-Gravelly Lake Drive was upgraded to a 4 lane freeway. The freeway from Exit 116 through Exit 120 was widened to 6 lanes in the early 1970s. Collector-distributor lanes were added to the Exit 120 interchange. The Exit 118 interchange was built circa 1997. The freeway from the far side of Exit 120 to Exit 124 was widened to 6 lane in the late 1950s, just a few years after the highway had been upgraded to freeway. The freeway from Exit 123 to Exit 124 was widened to 8 lane in the mid 1970s.
Exit 124 to Exit 128
The intechange at Exit 124 was built at the same time that the freeway was built northerly to Exit 128. At Exit 128, I-5 left the former US 99 alignment going off to the east. The freeway from Exit 124 to Exit 128 opened to traffic circa 1958. Through traffic was directed off the freeway at Exit 127, however, westerly to US 99-South Tacoma Way. The freeway continuing north to Exit 128 was signed as local traffic only. When it first opened, the freeway from Exit 124 to Exit 128 was 6 lane. This section of freeway was widened to 8 lane in the mid 1970s.
Exit 128 to M St
I-5 from Exit 128 to M St (just beyond the Exit 132 interchange) opened as a 6 lane freeway in November 1960. The freeway ended at temporary connector from the freeway to South Tacoma Way including a temporary bridge over M St. The ramps were graded and mainline grade separations built for the SR 16 interchange as part of this freeway. The SR 16 interchange did not open until 1972, however, when the Nalley Valley Viaduct was completed. The freeway from Exit 128 to Exit 132 was widened to 8 lane in the mid 1970s.
M St to Exit 136
The final link in the Tacoma Freeway opened to traffic in 1966. This section of highway was originally 6 lane and extended from the vicinity of M St to the vicinity of East E St (near today's Tacoma Dome). An additional southbound lane was added for slow moving vehicles circa 1990. A temporary connection to I-5 at East E St had been completed around 1964 or 65 and the freeway had opened from this connector to the vicinity of Exit 136. Even earlier, the northbound side of the I-5 including the Puyallup River bridge had opened as truck route. The 1926 vintage US 99 bridge downstream, originally striped as a 4 lane roadway, had been reconfigured with two lanes southbound and one northbound.
Exit 136 to Exit 149-Fife to Midway
The Fife to Midway section of I-5 opened to traffic as a 6 lane freeway in October 1962. A temporary connection had been built to connect Pacific Highway E with the freeway just west of the Exit 136 interchange. When this section of freeway was first opened to traffic, it was signed as both I-5 and US 99. Former US 99 from Fife to Midway became Business Loop 5. After US 99 was dropped from the US highway system in Washington State in late 1969, Pacific Hwy E (in Pierce County) and Pacific Hwy S ( in King County) from Fife to Midway was redesignated as State Route 99.
I-5 from Fife to Midway was widened into an 8 lane freeway circa 1970. The additional lanes were added in the median. All of the bridges over which this section of I-5 crosses were built from the start to accomodate an 8 lane freeway. HOV lanes have now been added to I-5 from the vicinity of Exit 143 to Seattle. There are plans to extend these HOV lanes south into Pierce County within the next few years.
Exit 149 to Exit 166
I-5 from Exit 149 to Exit 166 in Downtown Seattle opened to traffic in January 1967. Some of the lanes were not completed until a few months after the ribbon cutting ceremony but at least some lanes on I-5 were now open all the way through Seattle. Most of this section of I-5 had been opened as an 8 lane freeway. HOV lanes have been added. The I-5 reversible lanes begin around Milepost 165 and extend northerly to Exit 173 at Northgate.
Exit 166 to Exit 171
I-5 from Exit 166 to Exit 171 opened in stages in the early to mid 1960s. The freeway from Exit 166 Denny Way to Exit 167 Mercer Street opened around 1964 or 65 The Exit 167 to Exit 168 section of freeway opened to traffic in August 1963 the day that the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge was first opened to traffic. There was a temporary connector from Lakeway Drive to northbound I-5 used until the northbound Mercer Street on ramp was completed a few months later.In December 1962 the freeway from Exit 168 via the Lake Washington Ship Canal Bridge to Exit 170 Ravenna Blvd was the first section of I-5 to open inside the city. When I-5 had opened just south of Exit 168 in August 1963, northbound traffic on I-5 was allowed to turn right onto the freeway (now SR 520) headed for the Evergreen Pooint Bridge or to continue north on I-5 across the Lake Washington Ship Canal Bridge. Traffic heading southbound on I-5 across the Ship Canal Bridge was forced to exit onto Roanoke Street rather than continue south on the freeway to Mercer Street, Traffic heading west from the Evergreen Point Bridge was allowed, however, to enter I-5 just south of Roanoke and continue south on I-5 to Mercer. Some Seattle residents complained that this arrangement favored Bellevue and other Eastside residents over Seattle residents. The Department of Highways responded that the Mercer Street off ramp, the temporary southern terminus of this section of I-5, did not have that capacity to handle traffic from both the north end of Seattle and the Eastside. The point became moot within several months as I-5 was extended farther south into downtown and all connections at Exit 168 were opened to traffic.
I-5 was extended a short distance north from Exit 170 to Exit 171 Bothell Way (now Lake City Way) in 1963. When these first sections of I-5 opened to traffic in Seattle, the freeway was posted as I-5 along with US 99 route shields facing backwards. It appears that the Department of Highways had plans to move US 99 from Aurora Ave N/Hwy 99 between Seattle and Everett to the freeway when this long section of freeway would open. However, when the freeway from Seattle to Everett finally did open, the backward US 99 signs were removed from I-5 in Seattle and US 99 stayed on Aurora.
I-5 from Downtown to the University District north of the Ship Canal is 12 lanes wide with 4 northbound, 4 reversible, and 4 southbound lanes. This section of I-5 is used by over 250,000 vehicles daily.
Exit 171 to Exit 189
I-5 opened to traffic between Exit 171 and Exit 189 in January 1965. The section from Exit 171 to 173 originally consisted of 3 northbound, 2 reversible, and 3 southbound lanes. The reversible lanes end in the vicinity of Exit 173. The freeway was originally 6 lane from Exit 173 to Exit 189. More general purpose lanes have been added between Exit 173 and the King-Snohomish County line. HOV lanes have been added to this freeway as well.
Exit 189 to Exit 198
The highway from Exit 189 to Exit 192 had been added to the state highway system in the 1940s as a bypass of the original US 99 route in South Everett. This section had been graded as a 4 lane roadway but only 2 lanes were paved until the late 1950s. The 4 lane expressway was upgraded to the present 8 lane freeway circa 1969-70.
The 6 lane freeway from Exit 192 to Exit 195 opened to traffic in 1968. Marine View Drive served as a temporary connector from the I-5 freeway to US 99. The freeway from Exit 195 to Exit 198 opened to traffic in 1969. This section of freeway eliminated the last traffic signal on I-5 in Washington State.
Exit 198 to Exit 210
The highway that is now I-5 from Exit 198 to the vicinity of Milepost 204 first opened to traffic circa 1956 as a 4 lane expressway. The expressway originally passed under the railroad tracks north of Marysville just before ending and connecting with old US 99 (now Smokey Point Blvd/State Street). This section of highway was upgraded to a 6 lane freeway in the early 1970s. The mid 1950s Ebey Slough bridge is now southbound I-5. Northbound I-5 crosses a newer parallel bridge. The railroad undercrossing near Milepost 204 was replaced with twin 3 lane overcrossings when the 4 lane expressway was upgraded to freeway.
The 4 lane US 99 expressway from the vicinity of Milepost 204 to the vicinity of Milepost 207 opened to traffic in December 1958. The Exit 206 interchange replaced a grade crossing circa 1967. Near Milepost 207 the 1958 expressway joined a mid 1930s vintage section of US 99. Two new lanes parallel to the 1930s roadway were opened to traffic from the vicinity of Milepost 207 to the vicinity of Milepost 210 at the same time that the expressway opened between Mileposts 204 and 207. The mid 1930s vintage US 99 Stillaguamish River bridge had originally been built as a 4 lane structure but only 2 lanes were used until December 1958. The Exit 208 interchange replaced a grade crossing circa 1965. Around 1970, the 4 lane expressway from the vicinity of Milepost 204 to Milepost 210 was widened to 6 lane and upgraded to full freeway standards. The rest areas north of Exit 206 were built at this time. The 1930s Stillaguamish River Bridge became 3 lane southbound and a new 3 lane northbound bridge was completed.
Exit 210 to Exit 223
The 2 lane section of US 99 built in the mid 1930s from south of the Stillaguamish River to Conway (Exit 221) replaced the earlier route of US 99 through Stanwood. At Conway, the 1930s roadway rejoined the earlier vintage highway and US 99 continued north to South Mount Vernon (now Exit 223). In the mid-late 1950s, two expressway lanes were built parallel to US 99 from the vicinity of Milepost 210 to South Mount Vernon. In the early-mid 1970s, the highway from the vicinity of Milepost 210 to 223 was upgraded to a 6 lane freeway by replacing grade crossings with grade separations and interchanges, adding a third lane to the 2 lane roadway built in the 50s, and constructing 3 parallel lanes. In places, the 1950s roadway serves as the northbound side of the freeway, in others, the southbound side. The pre-expressway US 99 roadway became a frontage road.
Exit 223 to Exit 231
The 4 lane freeway/expressway from Exit 223 to Exit 231 opened in the mid-late 1950s. The Exit 231 interchange was built in the late 1950s as one of the first projects funded with Interstate funds on I-5. In the 1970s, interchanges replaced grade crossings at South Mount Vernon and Anderson Rd. Ramps on earlier interchanges were lengthened. A new George Hopper Rd interchange was built north of the Skagit River. Two half interchanges in Central Mount Vernon were consolidated into one at SR 536/Kincaid Sreet. Construction is beginning in 2004 on a new bridge over I-5 at 2nd St (old US 99) to replace the present low clearance bridge.
Exit 231 to Exit 252
The I-5 freeway from Exit 231 to Exit 246-North Lake Samish opened to traffic around 1965. Most of this freeway was built on a new alignment but part of the route along the east side of Lake Samish was built on top of the 1930s vintage US 99. The late 1966 opening of the 4 lane freeway from Exit 246 to Exit 252 in Bellingham completed a 4 lane highway from the Oregon state line to the Canadian border.
Exit 252 to Exit 258
The Bellingham Freeway from Exit 252 to Exit 258 opened to traffic in late 1960. The through traffic lanes have not changed significantly since 1960. The original portland cement concrete has been patched in places but not completely resurfaced. Sign bridges were added with new signs. Exit 256B was added about the time that Bellis Fair Mall opened in the late 1980s. The original grade separation at Exit 255 was replaced with a longer, higher bridge circa 2000. An interchange replaced a grade crossing at Exit 258 circa 1980.
Exit 258 to Exit 263
A more direct 2 lane US 99 between Bellingham and Ferndale replaced a less direct route in the early 1930s. This route included a 2 lane bridge across the Nooksack River on the east side of Ferndale that connected with Portal Way on the north side of the Nooksack. In the mid 1950s, two partially controlled access lanes were built next to the 1930s lanes. The mid 1950s construction included a 2 lane bridge across the Nooksack. Around 1970 a new 2 lane bridge replaced the 1930s bridge. By 1980 the highway was upgraded to 4 lane freeway with the addition of 2 more lanes, the construction of interchanges, and the conversion of the 1930s roadway from Exits 258 to 262 into a frontage road.
Exit 263 to the Canadian Border near Milepost 276
The freeway from Exit 263 on thenortheast side of Ferndale to the Canadian Border was costructed in two phases. The first phase, from Exit 263 to Exit 274 on the south side of Blaine, followed a new alignment, i.e., did not incorporate any portions of old US 99. This section of freeway opened to traffic in 1965. I believe that the Custer rest areas also opened at this time. The second phase also followed a new alignment except for the last few hundred feet through Peace Arch State Park approaching the Canadian Border. This phase opened to traffic about a year after the first.
Canadian Border to Vancouver BC
The freeway from the Canadian Border to the south city limits of Vancouver opened to traffic in phases between 1958 and 1963. The Deas Island Tunnel under the Fraser River was among the first sections to open to traffic. At first this freeway corridor was designated as BC 99B. The pre freeway route was still BC 99 at the time. The Pacific Highway heading directly north from Blaine and SR 543 was BC 99A.
About the time that the freeway from the border to Vancouver was completed, the freeway was renumbered BC 499. The recently opened Trans-Canada freeway in the Vancouver area had been numbered 401. The use of 400 series numbers followed the practice of Ontario in using 400 series numbers for freeways.
Around 1973, BC 499 was renumbered again, this time as BC 99. Former BC 99 became BC99A and former BC 99A became BC 15.
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