Federal Way transportation plan covers 23 projects, including access at S. 320th St.

By Jacinda Howard • July 10, 2009 4:29 pm

On July 7, the Federal Way City Council voted to progress with two road projects that will make access to Federal Way via South 320th Street easier for motorists.

The city council approved the 2010-2015 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). The plan lays out 23 road construction projects the city hopes to finish in the next six years. The council agreed on the need to move forward with two projects that will bring improvements to the southbound Interstate 5/South 320th Street interchange.

For road projects to be eligible for grant funding, they must be listed on the city’s TIP. The document is updated and approved by the city council annually. As projects are completed, new ones are added to the list. The projects are ranked using criteria such as improvements to road safety, ability to reduce vehicle collisions and feasibility.

Listed projects:

Two of the TIP’s projects will bring changes to the southbound Interstate 5 off-ramp at South 320th Street and the South 320th Street overpass at that location. A second left-turn lane and third right-turn lane will be added to the off-ramp. An HOV lane and sidewalks will be built in each direction on the overpass.

The construction was part of the City Center Access Project until the city council voted, in April, to cease work on that endeavor. That decision halted the environmental studies needed to complete the two projects within the TIP’s time frame.

“We needed to do some of that environmental work to do anything at the interchange,” traffic engineer Rick Perez said. “The environmental document was all encompassing of all future phases.”

The council’s approval allows the projects to progress once again. The off-ramp work is scheduled for construction in 2011. A $3.2 million grant from the Puget Sound Regional Council, which requires $1.6 million in matching funds from the city, is expected to pay for the work, Perez said. The project may be completed by the city or Washington State Department of Transportation.

No funding has been secured for the overpass construction, he said. Environmental evaluations are expected to cost $2 million. Design elements are estimated at $10 million. Construction will cost about $84 million.

“It’s going to probably require a fair amount of lobbying at the Legislature to see this funded,” Perez said.

The work will improve traffic flow and safety in the downtown core.

“We’re all looking forward to that bridge being widened,” city council member Linda Kochmar said.