Date:
Friday, July 14, 2006
Contact:
Messay Shiferaw, Project Engineer, (206) 768-5860 (Seattle)
Greg Phipps, WSDOT Communications, (206) 440-4702 (Seattle)
SEATTLE – WSDOT, Tri-State Construction, state legislators, city officials and community members gathered Friday to celebrate the opening of new lanes on two miles of State Route 161 between Federal Way and the cities of Milton and Edgewood.
Crews opened the new lanes Thursday evening, completing the transformation of a two-lane road into a modern four-lane highway.
"The Highway 161 widening project is a great example of our commitment to reduce congestion and make roads safer," said Doug MacDonald, Washington State Secretary of Transportation. "I’m particularly proud of the fact that WSDOT and Tri-State Construction were able to get the work done six months early and below budget."
A wider SR 161 will help keep traffic moving and reduce the likelihood of congestion-related collisions. New turn lanes, sidewalks, shoulders, a raised concrete median, and bike and pedestrian lanes will increase safety.
"WSDOT and Tri-State Construction created an improved highway that will help ensure drivers get home safely and in time for dinner," State Sen. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup, said.
"Drivers want better and safer roads," State Sen. Pam Roach, R-Auburn, said. "The new and improved SR 161 is what drivers want."
Crews also built a complex system of drains, pipes and ponds to capture and clean stormwater runoff and protect the Hylebos Creek watershed. WSDOT also had an agreement with Friends of the Hylebos Wetlands that enabled the group to do stream buffer mitigation in conjunction with its Hylebos Creek restoration project.
"By partnering with the Friends to implement mitigation, WSDOT successfully met its project mitigation needs, used taxpayer dollars effectively, and contributed significantly to improving the environment of the local community and the Hylebos Creek Watershed," Friends of the Hylebos Wetlands Executive Director Chris Carrel said "This is an example of government doing it the right way."
The SR 161 project is funded primarily through the 2003 Nickel Funding Package. For more information visit the SR 161 - Jovita Blvd. to S. 360th St. - widening project page.
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