The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) wants Joint Base Lewis-McChord commuters and local residents to be aware that construction and roadwork is scheduled to begin shortly after Labor Day.

The WSDOT reported that more than 152,000 vehicles travel through JBLM gates each day with 80 percent of those cars using I-5 for their commute. That level of congestion on the road, in particular the stretch between SR 510 in Lacey and SR 512 in Lakewood, has inspired these changes.

"With the increase in congestion during the week, during business rush hours and even on the weekends, we've been working with the command team on JBLM to mitigate these problems," said Bill Elliott, WSDOT design engineer.

According to WSDOT construction project engineer MaryLou Nebergall, signage is starting to go up now and the most noticeable work, which will impact commuters heading to both the Madigan Army Medical Center gate for JBLM and Camp Murray, is set to begin the first week of September.

"In the morning there are a lot of folks backed up on the right southbound shoulder waiting to get off at exit 122," Nebergall explained. "So we are going to build an auxiliary lane on the southbound side between Thorne Lane and Berkeley Street, so between exits 122 and 123."

Unfortunately, the construction will mean that the shoulder is completely closed; the auxiliary lane has a projected completion date of mid-November. Since rearranging work times for every person reporting to JBLM would be impossible and impractical, the WSDOT is advising that individuals utilize other gates during the 2.5-month construction period. Other lane and ramp closures will take place primarily at night in order to limit the impact on commuters.

WSDOT will also be installing Intelligent Transportation System devices along I-5 to help manage traffic and communicate traffic conditions to the public. For example, closed-circuit television cameras will be installed along the corridor and that way commuters and drivers can see real-time traffic updates online by visiting www.wsdot.com/traffic/.

Additionally, 17 ramp meters at almost all of the interchanges between SR 510 and SR 512 will be installed. The meters help to control and limit the rate and speed at which vehicles enter I-5, mainly during peak travel times.

Ramp meters are considered effective because they reduce collisions at merge points and a WSDOT statistic finds that collisions responsible for 50 percent of the traffic, so the hope is that the meters will serve to reduce road congestion.

"This is an ongoing effort and we've already been out there working to install the infrastructure, like installing fiber optic cable to support the new technology," said Claudia Bingham Baker WSDOT communications manager for the Olympic Region. "There have been a number of jurisdictions working together to figure out the best way to help the motorists and stay within the budget that we have."

For example, the cities of DuPont and Lakewood have been involved in the decision-making process and JBLM has worked to mitigate the traffic by opening the Mounts Rd. gate and staggering morning PT report times.

The entire project is estimated to last into the summer of 2015, but updated information will be released as the project gets underway. For further information, visit www.tacomatraffic.com.