The SR 167 Master Plan Planning and Environmental Study, executive summary and appendices are now available.
Timeline
The SR 167 Master Plan started in earnest in fall 2021 and we completed the SR 167 Master Plan update in June 2023.
Status
Complete
Budget
In 2021, the Legislature reauthorized $3 million for the SR 167 Master Plan update.
Purpose
The Puget Sound region is thriving and attracting large population and employment growth. This growth increases strain on our transportation infrastructure and services, resulting in increased traffic congestion and increased needs for maintenance and preservation. There is a need to move people and goods by maximizing the effectiveness of our multimodal transportation system now and into the future.
In response to this need, the Washington Legislature passed Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5825, directing $3 million to develop a multimodal SR 167 Master Plan. As part of the SR 167 Master Plan effort, WSDOT analyzed existing and future conditions, incorporated information from public and stakeholder engagement, and identified near, medium, and long-term multimodal transportation needs and strategies along the SR 167 corridor.
The SR 167 Master Plan study area included the existing SR 167 facility from the Port of Tacoma (SR 509) to Renton. WSDOT also considered the local system, and worked with other transportation providers to fully understand needs and solutions in the corridor.
The SR 167 corridor runs through the heart of one of the fastest growing areas in the state and includes a diverse set of communities with varying social and economic backgrounds and a mix of businesses and employment opportunities. As the area has grown, so has demand for travel on the SR 167 corridor.
Today, the highway has significant areas of traffic congestion and prior to the pandemic, rapid growth in transit ridership resulted in crowding on some routes and at many of the corridor’s park-and-ride lots. The low-density development in the corridor and a patchy non-motorized network means that the car is the only practical mode for many trips.
Looking forward, the relative affordability of South King and East Pierce County is and will fuel continued housing and employment. Historically, housing development along the corridor included a mix of single-family neighborhoods, infill attached and detached housing, and multifamily communities. Business development included a mix of service – industrial, manufacturing, and warehousing. In recent years, higher density, mixed use developments have emerged at nodes and along connecting roadways near the SR 167 corridor. It is anticipated that both the historic and the emerging development patterns will continue.
The increased density and mix of uses along the corridor will present new opportunities for multimodal travel by residents of these new growth nodes, as well as for the people who live and work in the surrounding lower density areas. Travel in the SR 167 corridor can be transformed by using transportation investments to leverage this growth, exploring new ways to manage single-occupancy vehicle demand and embracing new transportation technologies.
There are other projects and studies happening near the SR 167 corridor. We are coordinating with project leads on these efforts. Those projects include the following:
The Puget Sound Gateway Program is composed of two projects that provide essential connections to the Port of Tacoma and the Port of Seattle and help ensure people and goods move more reliably through the Puget Sound region. Delivering the SR 167 and SR 509 Completion projects under one program allows WSDOT to maximize efficiencies in planning, environmental review, design, and construction.
The SR 167 Completion Project will build the remaining four miles of SR 167 between Meridian and I-5, completing a long-planned connection to I-5. The project also includes a two-mile connection from I-5 to the Port of Tacoma.
WSDOT is adding an additional northbound HOV lane within the existing pavement width that will begin near State Route 410 in Pierce County and continue north tying into the existing SR 167 HOT Lane near Auburn in King County. Once construction is complete, the additional lane will open as a HOV lane and transition to an Express Toll Lane (ETL) at a future date.
The SR 167 high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, opened in 2008, are high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes open to solo drivers who choose to pay a toll. Carpools of two or more, vanpools and buses use the lanes toll-free. Toll rates adjust to ensure traffic in the HOT lane is free-flowing even when the regular lanes are congested. The SR 167 HOT lanes help keep traffic moving by providing a choice for a faster, more reliable trip when you need it most.
This map provides an overview of other active projects in the area.
As part of the Puget Sound Gateway Program, WSDOT opened the shared-use path on the new Wapato Way East Bridge over I-5 in Fife in July 2021. The path opening comes on the heels of opening the new bridge and SR 99 roundabout to traffic in late June 2021. The 12-foot-wide path on the new bridge provides new access for those who walk and roll, with direct connections to the Interurban Trail and new SR 99 sidewalks and crosswalks.
A map of the SR 167 Master Plan study area is below. The study area boundary was expanded to include some nearby areas of regional significance including regional growth centers and regional manufacturing and industrial growth centers. The study area boundary was drawn to account for some geographic barriers, and it was adjusted to follow some city limit and census block group boundaries to ensure WSDOT captures whole communities.
This map shows the SR 167 Master Plan study area.
As part of this study, we will work with the communities on/along the corridor to establish a multimodal vision for the SR 167 Master Plan and include the following key actions:
Use WSDOT’s Practical Solutions-based framework for decision making.
Consider future growth and land use.
Focus on multimodal transportation choices before capital investments.
Apply the Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) approach.
Implement the Healthy Environment for All Act (HEAL Act of 2021).
Building upon the existing partnerships developed through the I-405/SR 167 Program and Puget Sound Gateway Program executive committees, we will convene a policy advisory committee and technical advisory committee for the SR 167 Master Plan effort. Membership will include local jurisdictions, tribes, transit agencies, businesses, and other regional partners. Community engagement along SR 167 will also occur throughout the planning process. You can view materials from our committee meetings below.
The SR 167 Master Plan started in earnest in fall 2021 and we completed the SR 167 Master Plan update in June 2023.
Fall 2021
Start the SR 167 Master Plan scoping process.
2023
Complete the SR 167 Master Plan update.
In 2021, the Legislature reauthorized $3 million for the SR 167 Master Plan update.
This study was completed in June 2023. The Final Study Recommendations were developed based on the analysis results and community and partner feedback. The Final Study Recommendations represent a bold yet realistic vision to address the transportation challenges this corridor is expected to experience over the next 30 years. Throughout the SR 167 Master Plan and PEL process, partner and community engagement has been critical. The Final Study Recommendations are supported by a broad set of partners, ranging from local jurisdictions to CBOs and leaders in the equity community to freight, bicycle, transit, and pedestrian interest groups, tribal leaders, and transit agencies.
