June 22, 2026

SR-167 expressway final stage readies for kickoff post-FIFA

Photo from WSDOT [enlarge]

The new 54th Avenue East roundabout in Fife shown nearing completion in April. It’s part of stage 1b of the larger project.

Crews are gearing up to begin heavy construction in mid-July on the final, four-year stage of work on Washington State Department of Transportation's state Route 167 expressway completion project between Puyallup and Fife in Pierce County.

This fourth and final stage of the progressive design-build project is helmed by a joint venture of Kraemer North America and Kent-based Scarsella Bros. and includes building SR-167 between the Puyallup Recreation Center and Interstate 5, completing the diverging diamond interchange at I-5, building six new bridges, and constructing a new half-interchange at Valley Avenue.

This final stage, called 2b, also includes building the rest of the spuyaləpabš Trail and 113 acres of wetland mitigation and restoration. This final section of the expressway is scheduled to open to traffic in 2029, with the last of the construction slated for 2030. The 2b contract is worth up to $475 million, according to WSDOT.

WHAT CAME BEFORE

This final stage of work will wrap up WSDOT's big SR-167 Completion Project, adding a total of 6 miles of new tolled highway between Puyallup and the Port of Tacoma, along with a bounty of other related work.

Crews began work in 2020 and have been building the new expressway in stages.

Render from WSDOT [enlarge]

The new portion of the SR 167 expressway will travel over existing roads to connect to I-5 in Fife.

The first stage, 1a, included building the Wapato Way East bridge and state Route 99 roundabout in Fife. Atkinson Construction built the bridge and related infrastructure under a $40.9 million contract.

The second stage builds a 3-mile section of expressway between I-5 and state Route 509 near the Port of Tacoma. This stage, called 1b, includes 20 new bridges, new on-and off-ramps connecting I-5 and SR-167, and wetland and creek restoration. That work, also being completed by Atkinson, under a $376 million contract, is set to open in September.

Work on the third stage between state Route 161 and North Meridan Avenue and state Route 410 began last year, and is scheduled to end in 2027. Guy F. Atkinson was also the contractor on that $178 million section.

ABOUT SR-167'S LAST ACT

This last stage picks up the project at North Meridian Avenue and builds it to I-5. Work includes constructing a new roundabout interchange on and off the new expressway at Valley Avenue East in Fife.

Crews will also build a new southbound on-ramp and northbound off-ramp to and from I-5 as part of the project. Ramps to and from Puyallup are currently unfunded, but crews plan to build the new interchange so that it can be expanded in the future.

The final stage also includes building the rest of the spuyaləpabš Trail, the 12-mile shared-use path connecting Tacoma, Fife, and Puyallup that's being phased and completed by multiple area agencies alongside the larger SR-167 completion work.

THE BIGGER PUGET SOUND GATEWAY

The already-hulking SR-167 project is part of the even larger $2.83 billion Puget Sound Gateway Program, along with the state Route 509 Completion Project in south King County. The two projects aim to fill critical gaps in Washington's highway and freight network.

The bulk of Puget Sound Gateway's funding comes from Connection Washington and Move Ahead Washington, including a little over $1 billion in federal funding. The project also has amassed $143.9 million in local contributions and is set to get $213.2 million in toll contributions, along with a $74 million federal INFRA grant.

Learn more about the final stage of SR-167 completion at WSDOT's online open house through Aug. 15: https://engage.wsdot.wa.gov/sr-167-i-5-to-sr-161-new-expressway