Crowded section of SR 99 in Pierce County to see lane closures this week

One lane in both directions of State Route 99 in Fife will be closed from Monday, Dec. 1 through Friday, Dec. 5.

The lane closure on southbound SR 99 will start roughly between the roundabout at Wapato Way East to 70th Avenue east, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.. The closure on northbound SR 99 will be in place between the same locations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The closures will allow crews to work on sidewalk improvements, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. The work is part of WSDOT’s State Route 167 Completion Project, an effort to build six miles of new tolled highway between Puyallup and the Port of Tacoma. The State Route 167 project is part of WSDOT’s larger Puget Sound Gateway program, a roughly $3 billion effort to “complete critical missing links” in the state’s highway and freight network.

“Drivers are encouraged to plan ahead, expect delays and use caution while driving near the work zone,” WSDOT said in a release.

Isha Trivedi

The News Tribune

Isha Trivedi covers Tacoma city hall, Pierce County government and education for The News Tribune. She has previously worked at The Mercury News, the Palo Alto Weekly, the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. She grew up in San Jose, California and graduated with a bachelor of arts in journalism and anthropology from the George Washington University. She is a proud alumna of The GW Hatchet, her alma mater’s independent student newspaper, and has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists for her work with the publication.