Cara Mitchell, communications, 360-357-2703

People can help reduce delays during the closure in Sumner

SUMNER – Travelers who use northbound State Route 167 from Sumner in Pierce County to Pacific in King County will want to avoid hours-long backups the weekend of Aug. 20.

Beginning at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will close four miles of northbound SR 167 around the clock to make modifications on bridge decks. The four-mile section of highway will reopen at 4 a.m. Monday, Aug. 23.

The total northbound closure allows crews to complete key tasks before they can open a new high occupancy vehicle lane. The work is weather-dependent.

The closure will start on northbound SR 167 at the SR 410 interchange in Sumner and end at 8th Street East in Pacific. The 24th Street East on-ramp to northbound SR 167 will also be closed.

People need to plan ahead

Travelers will want to add at least 90 minutes of travel time if they must go through the detour route. During the 55 ½-hour closure, travelers will follow signed detours that are specific to passenger vehicles and trucks.

WSDOT traffic engineers anticipate that backups in the detour route could exceed 10 miles. Because of this, people who must travel are highly encouraged to:

• Only travel if necessary and avoid discretionary trips.
• Travel earlier in the day or later in the evening when traffic volumes are lower
• Use transit, carpool, vanpool or work from home or remote office locations if possible

Congestion on nearby state highways

With four miles of northbound SR 167 closed, drivers will see increased congestion on westbound SR 410 and on other north routes such as Interstate 5, SR 161 and SR 99 between Pierce County and King County. Before you go, check the state-wide Travel Alerts webpage for real time highway conditions and download the WSDOT app.

What is WSDOT doing?

Crews are modifying the bridge decks to add a new northbound HOV. They will add more roadway surface and modify drainage on the bridge. The weekend-long closure allows people working on the bridge room to safely complete their work. It also allows the roadway surface time to cure.

The northbound HOV lane will help maximize the movement of people and improve travel times in the corridor. The new lane is scheduled to open in spring 2022. The HOV lane will transition to an express toll lane at a future date.

On average, approximately 57,000 vehicles use northbound SR 167 each day, according to 2019 travel data.

This work may be rescheduled because of weather. Crews need dry weather install the new roadway surface and to allow the concrete to harden. If the schedule changes, the weekend closure would be moved to the next favorable weather weekend.

Updated construction information for this project is available on the Pierce and Thurston County travel planner. Before heading out the door, travelers can find additional information by following the WSDOT regional Twitter feed.