Growing together
We promote road, rail and navigation infrastructure and technology improvements to strengthen the regional maritime industry and economy.
Washington State Department of Transportation
Puget Sound Gateway / State Route 167 project
The Port of Tacoma Planning Team works closely with WSDOT’s SR-167 team on design of the project. In addition to roadway design that includes coordinating utility relocation efforts and habitat restoration along Wapato Creek, removing fish barriers.
The Puget Sound Gateway Program is composed of two projects that provide essential connections to, and between, the ports of Tacoma and Seattle. They also help ensure people and goods move more reliably through the Puget Sound region.
The SR 167 Completion Project will include these elements.
- 70th Avenue East Bridge Replacement Project constructs a new four-lane 70th Avenue East bridge over I-5 in Fife; work began in early 2020 and will take about 18 months to complete. View real-time construction cameras.
- SR 167/I-5 to SR 509 New Expressway Project constructs two miles of new highway between I-5 and the Port of Tacoma. Our design team is actively preparing the design-build contract documents for a new SR 167/I-5 interchange and a two-mile extension of the SR 167 corridor between I-5 and SR 509. We expect to begin construction on the extension and interchange in early 2022 and complete construction by the end of 2025. .
- SR 167/I-5 to SR 161 - New Expressway Project constructs four miles of new highway between Meridian Avenue and I-5 as well as several new interchanges. Construction is expected to begin in early 2024 and end in late 2028.
Check out WSDOT’s video about the SR 167 Completion Project to learn about the project’s benefits and get a glimpse of what it will look like when it’s completed.
Pierce County
Canyon Road Regional Connection
The Canyon Road Regional Connection Project will extend Canyon Road East from Pioneer Way East to 70th Avenue East in Fife – completing an important connection between Frederickson and the Port of Tacoma.
Pierce County partners are moving forward with the next set of improvements between the Frederickson Industrial Area and the Port of Tacoma, offering big benefits for drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians and freight haulers in this growing area.
Pierce County is working closely with the City of Fife, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, BNSF Railway and Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to ensure the Canyon Road Regional Connection Project serves all the jurisdictions and communities along the corridor.
City of Tacoma
Tideflats Subarea Plan
The Port of Tacoma is partnering with the City of Tacoma, the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, the City of Fife, and Pierce County on a Tideflats Subarea Plan to establish a shared, long-term vision, and a more coordinated approach to development, environmental review and strategic capital investments in support of the Port of Tacoma Manufacturing Industrial Center.
The Tideflats Subarea Plan project page on the City of Tacoma's website.
Taylor Way Rehabilitation
The Taylor Way Rehabilitation will restore an important arterial serving the Port of Tacoma Manufacturing Industrial Center, it is the main corridor on the Blair-Hylebos Peninsula, an essential emergency access route, and a vital freight corridor for the Port carrying between 4 million tons and 10 million tons of freight every year.
Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge
The Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge (formerly the Puyallup River Bridge) opened September 14, 2019. The bridge has a weight restriction of 20 tons, double that of the pre-closure restriction, meaning that empty trucks to and from the Port of Tacoma may now use the bridge.
City of Fife
Port of Tacoma Road/ Interstate 5 Interchange
This project is a multi-phased plan to improve the Port of Tacoma Road/Interstate 5 interchange, Pacific Highway East and the Port of Tacoma Road. The project has been developed in phases, with a portion of work on surface streets completed and a wetland mitigation site nearing completion. The project will reconfigure the existing interchange to a split diamond with one-way couplet. The Port of Tacoma Road and its existing bridge over I-5 will be converted to one-way southbound traffic while the parallel 34th Avenue East and its new bridge over I-5.
Sound Transit
Sounder South Capacity Expansion
The goal of the Sounder South Capacity Expansion is to expand Sounder capacity and improve rider experience. Improvements could include longer trains, and/or—with approval BNSF, the railroad that owns most of the tracks used by Sounder—additional weekday trips.
Ridership on Sounder South has increased steadily, and this is expected to continue as the region grows. To help meet growing demand, in 2016 voters approved the Sounder South Capacity Expansion program and an extension to DuPont.
Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension
Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension (Line T), formerly known as Tacoma Link, is a light rail light rail line in Tacoma, part of the Link light rail system operated by Sound Transit. It travels 1.6 miles (2.6 km) between Tacoma Dome Station and Downtown Tacoma, serving six stations. The line carried 972,400 total passengers in 2016, with a weekday average of over 3,200 boardings. Tacoma Link runs for 8 to 14 hours per day, using streetcars at frequencies of 12 to 24 minutes. Fares are not charged and operating expenses are funded by a subsidy from a downtown business association
Tacoma Dome Link Extension (light rail)
The Tacoma Dome Link Extension will add nearly 10 miles to our regional light rail system via mostly elevated tracks between Federal Way and Tacoma. This project includes four new light rail stations in the South Federal Way, Fife, East Tacoma/Portland Avenue and Tacoma Dome areas. These stations will also provide connections to other regional transit services like Sounder, Tacoma Link, ST Express, King County Metro, Pierce Transit, Intercity Transit and Amtrak. Stations will feature pickup and drop-off zones and provide convenient access for pedestrians, cyclists, and riders arriving on paratransit and other modes.