Widening Shaw Road will take $75M to $90M. Where does the project stand?
The Puyallup City Council authorized a supplemental agreement with a Tacoma engineering consultant as part of the project to widen Shaw Road.
On May 12, the city council unanimously authorized the agreement with Psomas for the Phase4A widening project, which is the segment from 25th to 20th Avenue Court East. The agreement allows Psomas to complete additional work to advance the project toward a construction-ready level of design, according to city manager Steve Kirkelie via email Friday.
The agreement provides for:
- Additional topographic surveying and mapping outside the immediate corridor to support stormwater mitigation planning
- Expanded wetland and stream delineation work
- Stormwater pond and drainage design
- Geotechnical investigations
- Preliminary right-of-way support services for future property acquisition needs
- Extension of the consultant contract by 12 months to allow for continued groundwater monitoring and related reporting
“In practical terms, the authorization keeps the project moving forward through final engineering, environmental, drainage, and right-of-way coordination activities that are necessary before construction can occur,” he wrote.
The road segment is currently in the design and engineering stage.
The supplemental agreement the council approved May 12 is for $100,304.39, according to meeting documents.
For design and construction, the city is looking at between $75 and $90 million to completely upgrade and widen Shaw Road to five lanes from 23rd Avenue Southeast North to 12th Avenue Southeast, city spokesperson Eric Johnson told The News Tribune via email.
The city also recently applied for a federal BUILD grant to complete the Final Design and Engineering for 23rd to 12th Avenue.
About $18 million in federal BUILD grant funding was requested by the city to complete the Final Design and Engineering for the 23rd to 12th Avenue section. It would also be used to advance the city’s understanding of right-of-way needs, according to City of Puyallup Emergency Manager Kirstin Hofmann.
“This BUILD grant request represents the first in a series of funding actions to eventually complete the full corridor. The full widening effort is expected to occur in multiple phases, each dependent on securing funding for design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction,” Hofmann said via email.
Johnson said there is no timeline on construction. The next stage after the Final Design and Engineering is “acquiring right-of-way from private property owners between 25th and 20th Ave Ct SE.”
City engineer Hans Hunger told The News Tribune in 2024 that the city’s comprehensive plan called for the project to be done in the next 20 years.
Congestion on Shaw Road
Traffic congestion has continued to worsen on Shaw Road as Puyallup and surrounding areas grow. The road stretches from south Puyallup to South Hill and is frequently delayed at the 23rd Avenue Southeast intersection, according to a January News Tribune report.
Puyallup city engineer Hans Hunger told The News Tribune at the time that the intersection sees about 20,000 vehicles per day.
Pierce County’s population has more than doubled over the past 50 years from 411,027 in 1970 to an estimated 941,170 in 2024.
