Pierce County residents are invited to celebrate the completion of a series of Canyon Road East corridor road projects from State Route 512 to 176th Street East. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for Thurs., Sept. 6 at 3 p.m. at the property located on the northwest corner of Brookdale Road East and Canyon Road East. Speakers at the ceremony include Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy, Pierce County Councilmembers Rick Talbert and Roger Bush, Transportation Improvement Board Executive Director Steve Gorcester, and Brian Ziegler, director of Pierce County Public Works and Utilities.

Limited parking is available at the ceremony site. Attendees are encouraged to carpool.

The corridor was completed in five major segments that spanned more than four miles. Over the years, the county has added lanes, installed new lights and traffic signals, and added sections of sidewalks and medians, among other improvements.

“The improvements will increase capacity of the corridor, relieve traffic congestion, aid the movement of freights and goods, and improve public safety,” said McCarthy. “We are pleased with the results of more than 20 years of effort by our employees, partners and contractors.”

The county began making plans to improve the corridor in the 1990s. Design work on the first segment from State Route 512 to 116th Street East began in 1993, and construction began in 2000. The last segment, from 172nd Street East to 160th Street East, was completed in mid-August.

The projects cost a combined $66.6 million. Funding came from a combination of County Road Funds, Transportation Improvement Board funds, real estate excise taxes and bonds, developer funds (State Environmental Protection Act mitigation contributions), county Surface Water Management funds, and a Surface Transportation Program (Hazard Elimination) grant.

More information about the projects is available online here.