Drivers, bicyclists and fish will travel easier as work ends on busy Pierce County highway
Drivers can use the new state Route 302 bridge and detours near Peninsula High School have been removed as of Dec. 2.
The bridge was originally set to open Dec. 1, but WSDOT announced on Wednesday, Nov. 29, that they were pushing the opening by one day “to lessen the effects on commuters and school traffic,” Angela Cochran, a communications consultant for WSDOT, told the Gateway.
It also worked better for “WSDOT signal technician scheduling,” Cochran said.
For the past seven months, the Washington State Department of Transportation worked to remove an old culvert barrier in Purdy Creek under state Route 302 (Purdy Drive) that is challenging for fish to swim through.
WSDOT crews replaced the old culvert with a new 77-foot-long bridge structure.
“Now, fish can swim freely between Burley Lagoon and Purdy Creek,” according to a Nov. 28 WSDOT blog post. Wildlife biologists estimated the project would create about 6.5 miles of new habitat for fish, WSDOT officials previously said.
Fish have already been seen “swimming from Burley Lagoon into Purdy Creek, and upstream under the SR 302 Spur,” according to the WSDOT blog post.
During the last seven months of work, part of Purdy Drive was closed. Drivers had to detour via Purdy Lane Northwest and 144th Street Northwest.
The detours and road closures caused traffic backups near PHS.
“The detour brought with it some challenges, some slowdowns, and additional traffic,” Kris Hagel, a spokesperson for the Peninsula School District told the Gateway Nov. 29. “We are hopeful that these slowdowns will dissipate when the road reopens.”
Traffic backed up especially around 2 p.m. on weekdays, because that’s when many leave the school, Laura Scheel, owner of the Purdy Liquor Store just off Purdy Drive, told the Gateway Nov. 29.
The area didn’t experience that sort of congestion before construction work started, according to Scheel.
Scheel had not heard the news that roads would be reopening Dec. 2. She said it was good news and that she hopes it will be easier to get around.
Before the road closures, students at PHS used the shoulder of Purdy Lane as overflow parking. With construction, that wasn’t allowed.
“Crews will remove the ‘no parking’ signs, and students and staff at Peninsula High School will be able to use that area as overflow parking again,” according to the WSDOT press release.
Even though the bridge is open, crews will continue to clean up the construction site in the evenings.
“Once crews remove the detour, they will work to return things to the way they were before construction,” according to the WSDOT press release. “This includes removing extra asphalt along the shoulders of Purdy Lane Northwest. Travelers can expect some nighttime lane closures while this work takes place.”
Crews will also need to come back in the spring when the weather is better to complete paving work on “the SR 302 Spur, Purdy Lane Northwest and some of 144th Street Northwest,” according to the blog post.
New shared-use path added to the design
WSDOT added a shared-use path into the design of the 302 bridge.
“The community asked for this, and we listened,” according to the WSDOT blog post. “We changed plans to create a protected shared-use path for people who walk or roll. We are excited to offer this solution and greatly appreciate the community working with us.”
The shared-use path will be for pedestrians and bicyclists. It will open after paving is finished in the spring, according to the post.
“Adding to the design is not something we are normally able to do during construction,” the WSDOT blog post said. “But in this case, there is enough room on the new bridge to create the new protected shared-use path.”
Work for state Route 16 culvert removals making progress
WSDOT also removed two culverts under state Route 16. They were between mileposts 17 and 18, where the Purdy Creek meets state Route 16.
They are both 40-year-old fish barriers, being replaced with large bridge structures that are 206 feet long to improve the fish habitat in the creek, Cochran previously told the Gateway.
Work began to remove the culverts in fall 2022.
The first bridge for westbound lanes opened to drivers in August of this year.
Work on the second bridge for the eastbound lanes began in September and is expected to open toward the end of 2024.
“They finished drilling the shafts a couple of weeks ago,” the WSDOT blog post said. “The shafts provide the foundation for a new bridge. Workers are now building the walls, girders, and road features of the new bridge.”
Crews will place the bridge girders in the spring. These are the “backbone” for the bridge, according to the blog post.
During that time eastbound SR 16 will be closed for several nights.
Crews will also spend time in the water during the summer, “relocating the stream and blocking off the culvert,” the blog post said.
This story was originally published November 30, 2023 at 11:44 AM.
