Puyallup drivers: Expect nightly closures on this street for bridge work
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Milwaukee Ave closed Mar 2–3 nights, 8:30 p.m.–6:00 a.m., for new girders.
- WSDOT provided suggested detours; pedestrian/bike shuttle will run.
- Closure part of SR 167 Completion Project Phase 3 (began 2025); due by 2030.
A Puyallup road will be closed in both directions next week.
According to a news release from the City of Puyallup, crews from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will work on a section of Milwaukee Avenue between 58th Street Court East and 59th Street East.
The road will be closed in both directions on March 2 and 3 from 8:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. each night.
“Contractors need to install the new bridge girders in association with the SR 167 extension project,” the city said in a Facebook post. “Drivers need to use alternate routes.”
WSDOT’s suggested detour:
- Northbound traffic on Milwaukee Avenue East will detour at Fifth Avenue Northeast, Second Street Northeast, North Meridian Avenue and Valley Avenue Northeast.
- Southbound traffic on Milwaukee Avenue East will detour to Valley Avenue East, North Meridian Avenue and Fifth Avenue Northeast.
“A pedestrian and bike shuttle will be available on either side of the closure area to transport non-motorized travelers,” the release said.
Nearby neighbors might hear noise at night and see flashing lights from construction equipment, the release said.
What is the State Route 167 Completion Project?
These closures are part of the bigger State Route 167 Completion Project, which will build six new miles of tolled highway between Puyallup and the Port of Tacoma.
There are four stages. The first stage has been completed.
- Phase 1: Building the new Wapato Way East bridge and roundabout for state Route 99 in Fife.
- Phase 2: Building expressway between Interstate 5 and the Port of Tacoma, which is scheduled to open in 2026.
- Phase 3: Completing work between state Route 161/North Meridian Avenue and state Route 410, which began in 2025.
- Phase 4: Completing work between North Meridian Avenue and Interstate 5, which will begin in 2026.
The entire project is planned for completion by 2030, WSDOT has previously said.
The work on Milwaukee Ave will be a part of the third phase. In the release, the city said WSDOT will be:
- Widening state Route 167 between state Route 161/North Meridian Avenue and state Route 410
- Building a “diverging diamond interchange” at state Route 167 and state Route 161/North Meridian Avenue.
- Building an embankment between the Puyallup Recreation Center and state Route 161/North Meridian Avenue.
- Building an overpass over state Route 161/North Meridian Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue East.
- “Completing local road and intersection improvements, and continued construction on the 12-mile spuyaləpabš Trail.”
News Tribune archives contributed to this report.
