On Thursday, September 6, Pierce County held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the Canyon Road East Corridor from SR512 to 176th Street.
The ribbon cutting ceremony, at 3 p.m. on the northwest corner of Brookdale Road East and Canyon Road East, featured Executive Pat McCarthy, Councilmembers Rick Talbert (District 5) and Roger Bush (District 3), Transportation Improvement Board Executive Director Steve Gorcester, and Brian Ziegler, director of Pierce County Public Works and Utilities.
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 Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy. “We are pleased with the results of more than 20 years of effort by our employees, partners and contractors.” She also added, “Eastern Pierce County counts, it matters.”
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.
A special tribute was made at the event to retiring Public Works and Utilities employee Jackie Speaks who has worked on this project for its entire 23 years. Her retirement is said to be in the next 15 days.
When Councilmember Bush spoke, he noted, “It took a long time to get here. There’s over a quarter of a million people south of SR512 and east of the military bases with no way to get anywhere.” Bush went on to note that the Canyon Road corridor from 200th Street to 224th Street has all been purchased. He added, “We’ve got to find a way to fund that too. This road has a 50% greater capacity than (either of) the two state highways, SR161 or SR7.”
Steven Gorcester, Director of the Transportation Improvement Board who directs gas tax money to projects noted, “$21 million dollars of state gas tax money came back to Pierce County for this project.” He then presented a project completion plaque to Executive McCarthy.
More information about the projects is available at http://www.piercecountywa.org/canyon.
Pierce Prairie Post 