South King County drivers and other interested people will have an opportunity to learn more about the Puget Sound Gateway program this month.

The Washington State Department of Transportation will host two events to provide information about the latest plans for the State Route 509 portion of the recently-funded project that will be constructed in phases during the next 16 years.

The first event will be a meeting of the SR-509 executive committee from 8:30-9:30 a.m. on Dec. 16 in the Council Chambers at SeaTac City Hall, 4800 S. 188th St., SeaTac. This committee is composed of local elected officials and agency executives, and will serve in an advisory role to the Department of Transportation throughout design and construction.

The second event is a public open house for the community to come and learn about the SR-509 project. The open house will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17 at Highline College, Building 2, at 2400 S. 240th St., Des Moines.

The department plans to close the gap on SR-509 located in the cities of SeaTac, Des Moines and Kent, create a new southern access to Sea-Tac International Airport, enhance regional mobility and safety, and improve freight travel times and reliability.

The meeting locations for the events are easily accessible by public transit.

The open house is an opportunity to talk with agency staff and provide input on design features.  No formal presentation will be provided. Attendees are welcome to come and go during the two-hour event.