Construction Project To Slow Traffic Along Sumner-Tapps Highway

SUMNER, WA — A major construction project is likely to stall or outright block traffic along the Sumner-Tapps Highway for the next month or so.

During that time, crews with Puget Sound Energy will be relocating several utility poles along the corridor. The City of Sumner says the construction will ultimately make the roadway safer to drivers, but will also cause traffic delays and backups during the construction period.

The utility pole relocation is the third of four construction projects planned for the highway this summer. The first was a resurfacing project, adding new asphalt from the 64th Street intersection to the Sumner City Limits and cutting the number of lanes on the hill climb. The second was a guard rail replacement.

The final construction project, set for some time later this summer, will be a weekend closure of northbound 167. The exact date for the closure has yet to be announced, but when it does happen, crews will use the time for a bridge preservation project. During that weekend, the Sumner-Tapps Highway will be used as a detour route, which is likely to cause some significant backup.