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Project Title & Location
SR 16: Union Avenue to Jackson Avenue - HOV; SR 16: 6th Avenue/Pearl Street (SR 163) to Jackson Avenue - HOV; SR 16: 36th Street to Olympic Drive - HOV. Gig Harbor & Tacoma
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Project Description
This project constructs HOV Lanes on SR 16 from Olympic Drive in Gig Harbor to Union Avenue in Tacoma. There are currently four travel lanes. There will be six lanes throughout the corridor when complete, with additional lanes provided between Union Avenue and 6th Avenue interchanges.
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Recent Progress
The contract plans for the first phase of this work, SR 16: 6th Avenue/Pearl Street (SR 163) to Jackson Avenue, are currently in final review and will be advertised for construction in November 2003. Contract plans for the second phase, SR 16: Union Avenue to Jackson Avenue, are in review and could be advertised in Spring 2004 if wetlands mitigation issues can be resolved with the City of Tacoma. The final phase of the project, SR 16: 36th Street to Olympic Drive, is scheduled to start construction in the Summer of 2005.
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Environmental Impacts / Compliance
According to City of Tacoma Code, impacts to wetlands within Tacoma's city limits must be mitigated within the city. The amount of wetlands mitigation on phase 2 of this project requires a 40- to 50-acre mitigation site. WSDOT, in collaboration with Department of Ecology, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the City of Tacoma have determined the best and most practical site to accommodate wetlands within the drainage basin is around the headwaters of Leach Creek in the City of University Place. WSDOT is working with permitting agency partners toward finding solutions to allow work to move forward on acquiring the mitigation site in University Place. If an agreement cannot be negotiated with Tacoma, WSDOT will work to keep the project on schedule by advertising the contract and starting construction in non-sensitive areas while developing alternatives to address mitigation requirements.
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Impacts to Traffic
A 3-day engineering workshop to focus on coordination of construction workzones for these three construction phases and the work on the New Tacoma Narrows Bridge was conducted in June 2003. Two-lanes of traffic in each direction on SR 16 will be maintained throughout the project, with some nighttime lane closures. Electronic message signs and highway advisory radio will be employed throughout the area, including the I-5 corridor, to alert travelers about traffic conditions on SR 16 during construction. A full communication and outreach program will also be used for traffic mitigation.
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