The overhaul of Pacific Highway in Federal Way has been under way for more than a decade.

Completion of the $18 million Phase IV portion of the project, which extended the HOV lane from Federal Way to Sea-Tac Airport, will be celebrated on April 19. State and local officials will gather for a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

“With Phase IV completed, commuters and buses can now travel from Federal Way to Sea-Tac Airport in a continuous HOV corridor,” said Federal Way Mayor Skip Priest in a news release. “With 35,000 vehicles using this road daily, Phase IV makes travel safer, more efficient for Federal Way residents and for the region.”

The ceremony will take place 10 a.m. to noon at the corner of S. 304th Street and Pacific Highway South. Slated to appear are Priest, Sen. Tracey Eide, Steve Gorcester from the Transportation Improvement Board, Charlie Howard of the Puget Sound Regional Council, Mark Eldridge from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), and Ed Conyers, who’s also with WSDOT.

The now completed project was funded using $7.94 million from the Federal Highway Administration, $8.17 million from the Transportation Improvement Board, $1.3 million from WSDOT and $580,000 from the city’s coffers.

This part of the project began in July 2010, and widened Pacific Highway from five to seven lanes by adding the HOV lane in both directions. It also added the landscaped median and made it easier for left-hand and u-turns off of Pacific Highway. The new sidewalks alongside the stretch of road were also part of the Phase IV improvements.

For those interested in learning more specifics about the now completed Phase IV, the contact Deputy Public Works Director Marwan Salloum at (253) 835-2720 or marwan.salloum@cityoffederalway.com.