Important Puget Sound-area freeway reopens following flood closure

One of the Puget Sound area’s most important north-south freeways has reopened to traffic after being closed by floodwaters.

On Friday afternoon, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced the reopening of northbound State Route between 15th Street Northwest in Auburn and South 212th Street in Kent, “following an extended closure due to floodwater from the Green River.

“On-ramps to northbound SR 167 also have reopened along this 6-mile corridor.”

The southbound lanes and on-ramps along that stretch reopened Wednesday morning.

WSDOT said it worked with local partners in recent days “to pump floodwater off the right of way” along northbound SR 167 and removed more than 400 oversized sandbags to prepare the highway for reopening. Travel lanes were inspected for damage before the all-clear was given, the agency said in a news release.

The closure contributed to heavy traffic congestion throughout the region over the last week or so, including on Interstate 5 between Tacoma and Seattle, as commuters sought alternatives.