State and regional leaders celebrated the beginning of the Puget Sound Gateway Program this month.
This multiyear program will complete SR 167 in Pierce County and SR 509 in King County.
These new connections will serve as critical freight links between Puget Sound marine ports and the industrial areas of South King and North Pierce counties.
The Gateway program also includes environmental projects that will improve water quality and wildlife habitat by completing environmental improvements in advance of both projects.
Earlier this year the Washington State Legislature authorized WSDOT to accelerate the SR 167 and SR 509 project schedule by three years. The first phase is scheduled to be completed in 2026 and the second stage in 2028.
“The ports of Tacoma and Seattle have invested millions of dollars upgrading our terminals to meet the demands of our industry, but we can’t do that alone. The Kent valley is critical to what we do. It’s the second largest distribution center on the West Coast, and the improvement of that cargo flow will not only help our ports, but it helps our entire state,” Dick Marzano, Port of Tacoma commissioner and co-chair of the SR 167 Completion Coalition.
The Puget Sound Gateway Program cost is $1.96 billion. The majority ($1.57 billion) comes from the Connecting Washington Revenue Package, tolling revenue is expected to be $180 million, and local contributions will be $130 million. PSRC has provided $8 million in regionally managed federal funds to Gateway-related projects.