Why is WSDOT
proposing completing State Route 167?
SR 167 is the primary freeway connecting the Kent and Puyallup River valleys to the Seattle/ Tacoma/Bellevue metropolitan area. The original planned route for the highway ran from Renton to Tacoma, but construction halted near Puyallup in the 1980s before the freeway could be completed to Tacoma.
The SR 167 Completion project 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 a highway completion from the existing SR 167 that will help:
- Relieve congestion on local roads and other highways by providing new travel options
- Move freight faster, 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 would provide two general purpose lanes in each direction and include a transit/carpool lane in each direction from I-5 to Puyallup.
When completed, the facility would 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 and engineering 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.
Financial Information
Project signage will reflect the cost of construction engineering, project bid award and sales tax.
| Financial Data for PIN 316718A, 316718C |
| Funding Source |
Amount ($ in thousands) |
| 2003 Gas Tax (Nickel Funding) |
$58,240 |
| 2005 Gas Tax (TPA) |
$70,201 |
| Pre-Existing Funds (PEF) |
$8,576 |
| Total |
$137,017 |
|
The pre-existing funds include all other sources listed below:
- Other Agency Funds - $484,792
City of Fife ($20,000)
City of Tacoma ($45,000)
Pierce County ($55,000)
Port of Tacoma ($364,792)
- Additional Funding - $20,139,980
SAFETEA-LU ($8,549,050)
Puget Sound Regional Council ($1,800,000)
Non-Demonstration Grant ($7,569,973)
High Priority Demonstration ($2,220,957)
- Total Funding Available From All Sources - $160,338,364
Total Unfunded Amount - $1.5 billion
How can I get more information?
Contact:
Steve Fuchs, Project Manager
P.O. Box 47375
Olympia, WA 98504-7375
Phone: 360-570-6600
E-mail: FuchsS@wsdot.wa.gov
Claudia Bingham Baker
Communications Manager
WSDOT Olympic Region
5720 Capitol Boulevard SE
Tumwater, WA 98501
Phone: 360-357-2789
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