Watch: You told us which Tacoma streets were best and which were worst. We drove them
In January, we asked readers which streets in Tacoma are the best to drive on and which ones are worst.
The question was prompted as the city of Tacoma is more than halfway through its 10-year streets initiative to improve nearly 6,000 blocks of city streets. Tacoma voters approved two ballot initiatives in 2015 to raise $175 million through an increase in taxes. The streets initiative focuses primarily on residential streets, but some funding has been used on some well-used arterials as well.
The January survey generated more than 70 responses from people pointing out the good, the bad and the ugly streets across the city.
We drove some of them to see what they were like.
North End streets
Sections of streets in the North End, just outside of Stadium District, are eroding, making them difficult to drive on, and requiring a driver to go slowly lest you she hit a bump too hard.
North L Street, North 5th Street and North G Streets all have sections of battered surface.
According to the city, North L Street was slated to be repaved as part of an earlier streets initiative project, but there were some utility issues that had to be resolved first. Those improvements are pending, so paving is on hold for now.
North K Street was lauded by respondents as being much smoother after a streets initiative overlay project that was recently completed. Portions of North M Street in that area are concrete, and repairs have been made on some sections as a part of the streets initiative project. Asphalt sections will be reviewed again as future projects arise, according to city staff.
East 64th Street
East 64th Street in Tacoma’s Eastside was recognized as both a good and a bad street. That’s because a portion of it — between Pacific Avenue and McKinley Avenue — was upgraded last year, complete with sidewalks, bike paths and cross walks, with funding from the streets initiative.
Between McKinley Avenue and Portland Avenue is another story, with loose gravel, patched-up surfaces and potholes.
Improvements to that segment of East 64th Street are in the works. The city is about 90 percent finished with design of the segment, which will include replacing the roadway, adding bike lanes, replacing sidewalks and curb ramps with ramps meeting ADA standards, and upgrading the stormwater system. Upgrades to a third segment of East 64th will complete the project from Portland Avenue to the eastern city limits near the Pipeline Trail.
South Ainsworth Avenue
In the South End, some respondents said South Ainsworth Avenue could use some attention. The worst of the potholes seem to be scattered between South 90th and South 80th Streets.
South 62nd Street
South 62nd Street is located in Tacoma’s South End. It’s a residential street and doesn’t receive as much traffic as other streets in Tacoma. Like a handful of streets in Tacoma’s North End near the Stadium District, the street appears to be failing, the road crumbling away to something akin to gravel.
Stadium Way
The construction along Stadium Way has been a headache for drivers as construction crews work to install tracks for Sound Transit’s Tacoma Link.
Now that the construction is finishing up, respondents to the survey say it’s a much smoother ride than it used to be.
Thorne Road
Some respondents complained about the state of roads at the Port of Tacoma. With the amount of large vehicle traffic in the area, the roads are bound to wear.
Thorne Road stretches from Lincoln Avenue and East 11th Street, with potholes lining the sides of the streets. People often cross over the center line to avoid them.
East Roosevelt Avenue
East Roosevelt Avenue transports vehicles from north to south in the Eastside neighborhood. A respondent to the streets survey pointed out that drivers often swerve to avoid the potholes there. It’s also a bus route. In the video below, a bus bounces down the street in tight quarters.
North 26th Street
North 26th Street is one of many minor arterials that crosses west to east in the North End. It’s well-traveled, and because of that, isn’t cracking the way some residential streets are.
There is some cracked pavement along North 26th. In the video, you can see a smattering of black squares where crews have clearly smoothed out the street. The video covers North 26th from Pearl Street to North Proctor Street.
One of those areas is the North 26th and North Orchard Street intersection. This intersection received the most complaints in our survey, but the city was quick to fix it. You’ll see in the video the intersection is no longer the problem it once was.
North 30th Street
Like North 26th Street, North 30th Street is another arterial that crosses west to east in Tacoma’s North End. Also like North 26th, North 30th does at times have a patchwork of black squares where the asphalt has been paved over, and where a pothole once existed — primarily on its west side.
While driving, this reporter saw one of Tacoma’s street crews in action, paving over a pothole just past Monroe Street. The below video shows North 30th from Pearl Street to North Stevens.
St. Helens Avenue
Located downtown, St. Helen’s Avenue received a number of complaints for what feels like the wearing away of the street — particularly toward its north end. It is a busy street and also the main route for some major construction projects. As you can see in the video, there are some long stretches that have been patched over and now are smoother.
Division Avenue
Near Wright Park in Tacoma and cutting through the Stadium District, Division Avenue can be stressful to drive through, mostly because of construction currently underway by Sound Transit. Track is being installed for the Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension project. The good news is that Division Avenue, at least in some parts, should be better to drive when construction is completed.
In the meantime, the intersections of Division and North Broadway Street and St. Helens Avenue are seeing potholes. The video covers Division between Broadway and North I Street, but construction continues farther down the street.
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
