Traffic Avenue Project Funded And Designed, Sumner Mayor Says

SUMNER, WA — The $17 million project to reduce congestion and improve travel on Traffic Avenue in Sumner is now fully funded and designed, according to Sumner Mayor Bill Pugh, who announced the city was in the permit phase of the project in his Nov. 20 Community Connection newsletter.

The Traffic Avenue/SR 410 interchange project will see a second two-lane bridge constructed immediately adjacent to the current bridge, along with a separated trail for pedestrians and cyclists, Pugh said, adding that he hopes to see the city make a bid for construction in Spring 2019.

"Of course, I'm thankful for this project," Pugh wrote in his newsletter. "Can you imagine a time when traffic isn't backed up throughout Sumner and even down Shaw Road in Puyallup?"

Funded by a collective of state and private agencies and organizations, including Sound Transit, the Puget Sound Regional Council, and the Port of Tacoma, the project should alleviate typical traffic issues on SR 167, SR 512, and SR 410, along with impeded response times for emergency services in Sumner that also get held up in the daily congestion.

"This may seem like an obvious statement, but it is not easy to raise $17 million in three years. And, it's not even our interchange. It's owned by Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)," Pugh wrote. "We could have sat back and waited for them to do something ... someday. It's not a criticism: they're (sic) To Do list across the state is daunting. For that reason, we decided to take it on ourselves. That's not normal, but that's how we roll."

For more information on the project, visit SumnerWA.gov/Traffic-Avenue.

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