Pierce County celebrates major road improvements near Frederickson

December 11, 2014 10:09 am
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Over the past 18 years, Pierce County has completed nearly $72 million in road improvements along a six-mile stretch of 176th Street East between B Street East and State Route 161. The work has included widening portions of the roadway to add additional lanes, installing new lights and traffic signals, adding sections of sidewalks and medians, and constructing a new railroad crossing bridge, among other improvements. (PHOTO COURTESY PIERCE COUNTY)
Over the past 18 years, Pierce County has completed nearly $72 million in road improvements along a six-mile stretch of 176th Street East between B Street East and State Route 161. The work has included widening portions of the roadway to add additional lanes, installing new lights and traffic signals, adding sections of sidewalks and medians, and constructing a new railroad crossing bridge, among other improvements. (PHOTO COURTESY PIERCE COUNTY)

Pierce County officials marked the completion of a series of roadway improvement projects along the 176th Street East corridor between B Street East and State Route 161 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week.

Design work on the corridor began in 1996, while construction began in 2003. Major work on the final project — from B Street East to 14th Avenue East — is expected to be completed this winter, with some minor work expected through the early spring. Pierce County will also make final improvements to the intersection of 78th Avenue East and 176th Street East in 2015 after ongoing coordination with environmental regulatory agencies is complete.

The work on the completed projects cost a combined $71.2 million. Funding came from a combination of traffic impact fees, Transportation Improvement Board funds, County Road Funds, real estate excise taxes and bonds, and developer funds such as State Environmental Policy Act mitigation contributions.

The 176th Street East corridor is one of several arterials around the county that has been upgraded to include curbs, gutters and sidewalks to allow expanded access for pedestrians and bicyclists. Also, crews installed pervious concrete sidewalks and shoulders from B Street East to 14th Avenue East to reduce surface water runoff. This is the first time Pierce County has used pervious concrete on the shoulders of an arterial roadway. The county also constructed a new railroad crossing bridge just west of Canyon Road East. Workers removed the old two-lane bridge and built the new bridge during a four-month road closure. Finally, road workers added raised medians to the roadway to increase safety, control access to businesses, and improve traffic flow. The medians have a combination of drought tolerant plants and hardscape features, and also include depressed curbs to accommodate fire and aid vehicle cross over.

According to Pierce County officials, up to 25,000 vehicles per day travel the 176th Street East corridor near the intersection of 176th Street East and Canyon Road East. In 1989, the traffic count was about 8,000 vehicles per day at that same location. Over the years, Pierce County has made a number of road improvements along the corridor in six major segments that spanned more than six miles.

Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy, Pierce County Councilmember Jim McCune, Pierce County Public Works and Utilities Director Brian Ziegler, and Transportation Improvement Board Executive Director Steve Gorcester attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday at the Central Pierce Fire & Rescue Station No. 60 in Tacoma.

More information about the 176th Street East corridor is available online at piercecountywa.org/fredericksonarea.

To read the Tacoma Daily Index‘s complete and comprehensive coverage of Pierce County’s 176th Street East corridor improvement projects, click on the following links:

Over the past 18 years, Pierce County has completed nearly $72 million in road improvements along a six-mile stretch of 176th Street East between B Street East and State Route 161. The work has included widening portions of the roadway to add additional lanes, installing new lights and traffic signals, adding sections of sidewalks and medians, and constructing a new railroad crossing bridge, among other improvements. (PHOTO COURTESY PIERCE COUNTY)

Over the past 18 years, Pierce County has completed nearly $72 million in road improvements along a six-mile stretch of 176th Street East between B Street East and State Route 161. The work has included widening portions of the roadway to add additional lanes, installing new lights and traffic signals, adding sections of sidewalks and medians, and constructing a new railroad crossing bridge, among other improvements. (PHOTO COURTESY PIERCE COUNTY)

Over the past 18 years, Pierce County has completed nearly $72 million in road improvements along a six-mile stretch of 176th Street East between B Street East and State Route 161. The work has included widening portions of the roadway to add additional lanes, installing new lights and traffic signals, adding sections of sidewalks and medians, and constructing a new railroad crossing bridge, among other improvements. (PHOTO COURTESY PIERCE COUNTY)

Over the past 18 years, Pierce County has completed nearly $72 million in road improvements along a six-mile stretch of 176th Street East between B Street East and State Route 161. The work has included widening portions of the roadway to add additional lanes, installing new lights and traffic signals, adding sections of sidewalks and medians, and constructing a new railroad crossing bridge, among other improvements. (PHOTO COURTESY PIERCE COUNTY)

Pierce County designed and installed an innovative stormwater runoff system that involved reinforced concrete instead of constructing a traditional detention pond as part of a series of road improvement projects along the 176th Street East corridor. (PHOTO COURTESY PIERCE COUNTY)

Pierce County designed and installed an innovative stormwater runoff system that involved reinforced concrete instead of constructing a traditional detention pond as part of a series of road improvement projects along the 176th Street East corridor. (PHOTO COURTESY PIERCE COUNTY)

Pierce County officials marked the completion of a series of projects along the 176th Street East corridor during a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week. (PHOTO COURTESY PIERCE COUNTY)

Pierce County officials marked the completion of a series of projects along the 176th Street East corridor during a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week. (PHOTO COURTESY PIERCE COUNTY)

Pierce County Councilmember Jim McCune spoke during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday to mark the completion of a series of road improvement projects along the 176th Street East corridor. (PHOTO COURTESY PIERCE COUNTY)

Pierce County Councilmember Jim McCune spoke during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday to mark the completion of a series of road improvement projects along the 176th Street East corridor. (PHOTO COURTESY PIERCE COUNTY)

Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy spoke during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday to mark the completion of a series of road improvement projects along the 176th Street East corridor. (PHOTO COURTESY PIERCE COUNTY)

Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy spoke during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday to mark the completion of a series of road improvement projects along the 176th Street East corridor. (PHOTO COURTESY PIERCE COUNTY)

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