WSDOT updates council on Highway 167/509 Gateway program, tolling timeline and local impacts

Dwayne Matlock, deputy administrator for the Gateway/January program, and Tom Sliemak, construction project engineer, presented the multi‑stage Highway 167/509 Gateway program to the Milton City Council on July 16.

Matlock said the program has multiple projects in two corridors and described the program’s funding mix as state, local, federal and toll revenue. He told the council the program is fully funded to complete its work and described tolling points on the 167 corridor, noting that one 167 tolling point on the west side is scheduled to go live in late 2026 and a second tolling point east of I‑5 is expected by the end of 2029. Matlock said tolls will vary by time of day and include a truck axle multiplier; a statewide low‑income toll program is expected to begin in late 2026.

Sliemak reviewed construction status and schedules for stage 1B, stage 2A and stage 2B work: he said the stage 1B expressway from I‑5 to the Port of Tacoma is nearing substantial completion and is scheduled to open to traffic next September; he said the stage 2A interchange work near Puyallup will open in fall 2027 and the stage 2B mainline contract is expected to be completed in 2029.

WSDOT staff described environmental and trail work tied to the project, including a 150‑acre repairing and restoration program, roughly 20,000 linear feet of creek channel rehabilitation and multiple trail segments (the “Spoilage Pops Trail” and other local trail links). Sliemak said the work includes construction of box culverts and new bridges and that planting and revegetation will follow construction.

Council members focused their questions on local impacts to Milton. Council member Seeder/Hall asked whether the work would increase cut‑through traffic on Milton streets; Matlock said the program’s intent is to keep traffic on the state highway system and that detour routes and contractor restrictions are designed to avoid routing construction traffic through local neighborhood streets. Matlock said he could not promise there would be no local cut‑throughs and that the department has traffic‑modeling and closure analyses that define detour routing and contractor time restrictions. He said the agency’s traffic modeling shows that attracting trips to the new expressway should reduce traffic pressure on local streets overall.

Residents and council members raised questions about noise and trail safety. Sliemak said the final environmental analysis did not identify noise‑wall thresholds on this corridor, but noted slopes will be planted and revegetated over time. He added that bridges and trail segments will include fall‑protection measures and that specific guardrail or barrier decisions are made case‑by‑case.

No local ordinance or action was taken. WSDOT said it will continue community outreach, open houses and periodic construction updates; staff said trail maintenance agreements with local partners remain under discussion.