Work On Highway Connecting I-5, Port Of Tacoma Will Begin In 2022

TACOMA, WA — The Washington State Department of Transportation announced Friday that construction on a two-mile highway connecting the Port of Tacoma and I-5 will begin sometime in summer 2022.

According to an update from WSDOT, the SR 167/I-5 to SR 509 New Expressway Project has been under consideration for decades, but is one step closer to reality now that the state has officially accepted contractor Guy F. Atkinson Construction's $376 million bid to build the freeway.

“This is an exciting and important step in the decades-long goal to complete SR 167 and build a direct connection between I-5 and the Port of Tacoma,” said John White, administrator for the Puget Sound Gateway Program. “The benefits of this new highway will be far-reaching – improving freight movement to and from the port, reducing truck traffic on local roads and expanding non-motorized travel options.”

The $376 million construction project will create a brand-new two-mile expressway between I-5 and SR 509 near the port. It will also include the creation of a shared-use path along the highway for cyclists and pedestrians, and a new interchange over I-5 in fife to connect SR 167 to I-5.

WSDOT says the project is also taking environmental concerns into consideration, and will restore roughly 150 acres of wetland and streams, furthering the state's commitment to supporting the struggling salmon population.

The new highway is the second of three construction projects that comprise the SR 167 Completion Project, which WSDOT says will complete the unfinished SR 167 in Pierce County. The first stage of that project wrapped in summer 2021, when WSDOT opened the new I-5 bridge and roundabout on SR 99 in Fife. When finished, the three projects will build a total of six new miles of highway between SR 167 in Puyallup and the Port of Tacoma.

"Together, the SR 167 and SR 509 completion projects will improve the movement of freight by connecting the state's largest ports to key distribution centers in King and Pierce counties," WSDOT said in a news release. "Completing these unfinished highways will move freight more efficiently and ease traffic congestion throughout the Puget Sound region."

Construction on the SR 167 Completion Project will last through 2028.