Construction on a major Pierce County freeway project is starting. Here’s what to know
Construction will soon be underway on a major traffic project in the Puyallup area – as soon as April 8.
The Washington State Department of Transportation said in a news release Monday that crews are going to start work on the three-year state Route 167 Completion Project.
“People who live, work or travel through the area can expect to see crews begin work west of North Meridian Avenue,” WSDOT said in a news release. “They will install high visibility fencing, begin removing trees and start hauling in gravel and soil to build a portion of the embankment for a future SR 167 expressway.”
Two bridges are included in the project — one over North Meridian Avenue and one over Milwaukee Avenue East, the release said.
“The new bridges will eventually carry SR 167 through-traffic while the existing bridges will be converted into on- and off-lanes to help travelers smoothly enter and exit the expressway at both North Meridian and Milwaukee avenues,” the release said. “Crews will also build a new interchange on North Meridian Avenue to allow travelers to more easily enter and exit SR 167. It will include new sidewalks and crosswalks.”
Crews will complete construction on the expressway in 2028, the release said, but drivers won’t be able to use it until 2030, when construction of a four-lane highway between North Meridian Avenue and Interstate 5 wraps up.
“Improving and modifying this existing section of SR 167 sets the stage to build the new tolled expressway between I-5 and North Meridian Avenue beginning in 2026,” Puget Sound Gateway Administrator John White said in the news release. “When the full 6-mile expressway is complete, travelers can opt for a more direct route between Puyallup and Tacoma with connections to I-5 and SR 509 or continue to use surface streets. The connection will provide a huge benefit to freight traveling between the Port of Tacoma and manufacturing and distribution centers, removing many of them from those local streets.”
Crews will also focus on building a new section of the spuyaləpabš trail between Puyallup and Fife’s Alexander Avenue. The new trail will follow the new expressway and feature art from Coast Salish artists.
For updates on the project, residents can visit wsdot.wa.gov/construction-planning/search-projects/sr-167-completion-project.
