Project Facts
- Constructs six miles of four-lane divided highway on new alignment.
- Completes the SR 167/SR 161 (Meridian) interchange Adds a new interchange at Valley Avenue and SR 167 Builds a new freeway-to-freeway interchange at I-5 and SR 167 Builds a partial interchange at 54th Avenue and SR 167 Connects SR 167 to the existing SR 509 near Port of Tacoma Road
- The highway will be designed to provide roadway width for future HOV lanes.
July 2008
Our summer outreach events begin in August. See our calendar of events for more information.
Our July e-mail update is available online. If you would like to receive these updates in the future, please join our e-mail list.
Click here for information on SR 167 HOT lanes.
Why is WSDOT
extending State Route 167?
State Route (SR) 167 is the primary freeway connecting the Kent and Puyallup River valleys to the Seattle/ Tacoma/Bellevue metropolitan area. The highway’s original planned route ran from Renton to Tacoma, but construction halted near Puyallup in the 1980s before completing the freeway to Tacoma.
The SR 167 Extension is a critical missing link in the state's highway network. Its completion is expected to improve safety and reduce congestion along local roads and freeways in the surrounding area.
To provide this missing piece of the system, WSDOT is designing an extension to the existing SR 167 helping to:
- Relieve congestion on local roads and other highways by providing new travel options
- Move freight faster, more safely and more economically
- Improve regional mobility
- Enhance surface water quality and improve stream habitat feeding into Commencement Bay
The End Result
This new highway segment will provide two general purpose lanes in each direction and will also include a transit/carpool lane in each direction from I-5 to Puyallup.
When completed, the facility will be a divided highway, with access points at interchanges in key locations: SR 509, 54th Avenue, I-5, Valley Avenue East and SR 161.
Project Benefits
- Increased Safety. Designed to modern highway standards, the highway will have limited access points to reduce traffic conflicts.
- Congestion relief. The more direct connection from SR 161 and SR 509 to I-5 will reduce freeway congestion and relieve traffic volumes on surrounding local streets in cities like Puyallup and Fife.
- Environment. In addition to conventional stormwater retention ponds, the project will include a riparian restoration program that enhances existing wetlands and promotes natural stream processes in Hylebos Creek and Surprise Lake Tributary areas of north Pierce County.
What is the project timeline?
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the Tier I Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), identifying a preferred route, in 1999. WSDOT began further study of the selected corridor in spring of 1999 with the Tier II EIS.
FHWA published the Tier II Final EIS, outlining plans to avoid or lessen the project's potential environmental impacts, in December 2006. FHWA approved the Tier II FEIS by signing the Record of Decision in October 2007, completing the environmental documentation process and allowing WSDOT to proceed with advanced engineering and design work.
We will continue right-of-way acquisition, engineering, and design as funding allows. Our charge is to design the highway and purchase as much of the corridor as possible, in preparation for when construction funding becomes available.
Public Involvement
Your thoughts and opinions are important to us and WSDOT works extensively to involve the public in this project. The design team has conducted stakeholder interviews, established a citizen's advisory committee, held open house meetings in the project area, published public information pieces and staffed community events to provide project information.
At each stage of the EIS process we also held public hearings at various locations. In addition, we mailed more than 10,000 newsletters to residents and businesses within the project area.
In early 2007 we launched our quarterly e-mail update. These updates provide members of our mailing list with detailed information about project progress four times a year. If you would like to receive these updates in the future, please join our e-mail list. As always, feel free to contact the project office for more details on public involvement opportunities.
Environmental Protection
The SR 167 Extension project was selected as a federal pilot for a two-tiered EIS process. In this process, the Tier I EIS selected the corridor and interchange locations and the Tier II EIS defined the "footprint" of the highway within the corridor. The Tier II Final EIS is available for download.
The Record of Decision (ROD), finalized in October 2007, completed the environmental documentation process and allows WSDOT to move forward with advanced engineering and design work on the project. The decision includes the preferred design options for each interchange and describes why each option was selected. It also describes actions WSDOT will take to minimize or avoid adverse environmental effects.
Please visit the
WSDOT Environmental
Services Web site for more information.
Increasing safety is one of our priorities
The SR 167 extension will be built according to the most up-to-date highway design standards. Locations where motorists enter and exit the highway will be limited to key interchange locations to eliminate cross traffic.
Will this project impact tribal resources?
At WSDOT we seek to address the concerns of the tribal nations using the process outlined in Section 106 of The National Historic Preservation Act and the WSDOT Tribal Consultation Policy adopted in 2003 by the Transportation Commission as part of the WSDOT Centennial Accord Plan.
Government-to-government consultation was initiated between FHWA (on behalf of WSDOT) and the Puyallup Tribe. Coordination with the Puyallup Tribe continues directly with WSDOT. The Puyallup Tribe and WSDOT have worked together on design issues related to the project.
For more information visit our WSDOT Tribal Liaison Web site.
Financial Information
This project is funded through the following sources:
- 2005 Gas Tax (Partnership Funding) - $70 million
- 2003 Gas Tax (Nickel Funding) - $63,300,605
- Existing Funds - $6,434,214
- Other Agency Funds - $20,150,722
SAFETEA-LU ($8,075,000), Port of Tacoma ($364,791), City of Fife ($20,000), City of Tacoma ($45,000), Pierce County ($55,000), Puget Sound Regional Council ($1.8 million), Non-Demonstration Grant ($7,569,973), High Priority Demonstration ($2,220,957)
- Total Funding Available From All Sources - $159,885,540
Total Unfunded Amount - $2.01 billion
These updated project cost estimates are proposed in the Governor’s 2007-2009 budget released Dec. 19, 2006. Costs reflect recent construction cost escalations experienced in Washington and around the country.
On November 6, 2007 voters rejected Proposition 1, the Roads and Transit investment package, which would have provided $1.59 billion for this project.
How can I get more information?
Contact:
Steve Fuchs, Project Manager
WSDOT SR 167 Extension Office
P.O. Box 47375
Olympia, WA 98504-7375
Phone: 360-709-8100
E-mail: FuchsS@wsdot.wa.gov
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