Federal Way City Council members heard a detailed update on Nov. 5 about the City Center Access project that would reconfigure ramps to and from Interstate 5, widen S 324th Street and realign local streets near the city center.

"We have received NEPA approval," said Rick Perez, city traffic engineer, describing the National Environmental Policy Act review completed in September 2025 by the Federal Highway Administration and WSDOT. Perez said phase 1 design and right‑of‑way work are underway after a $50,000,000 allocation for design and ROW in March 2023, and that construction could proceed if and when construction funding is secured, possibly as soon as 2028.

The presentation outlined a multi‑phase plan. Phase 1 would construct southbound I‑5 ramps connecting to S 324th Street, rebuild S 324th between those ramps and 23rd Avenue S, widen S 324th to five lanes and add a second left‑turn lane at Highway 99 to handle additional traffic. Later phases would extend S 324th across I‑5 to Weyerhaeuser Way, reconstruct the S 320th bridge and add HOV lanes toward Military Road, and ultimately add northbound ramps at S 324th and bring the interchange to current standards.

Perez described a major coordination issue with Sound Transit and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). Sound Transit’s guideway extension and the need to raise BPA power lines led to a proposed tower alignment that conflicted with an existing Tacoma waterline in the shared easement. "Sound Transit is gonna build this roundabout for us," Perez said, adding that Sound Transit would also perform rough grading that would affect the project footprint.

Because of tower construction and realignment work, Perez said 23rd Avenue S and S 324th would be closed for roughly a year and a half; staff proposed mitigation including a traffic signal at Highway 99 and S 320th. Perez told council members that Belmore access would be preserved and that temporary pedestrian access would be provided to the mall during closures.

Environmental permitting remains active: staff are preparing a SEPA application to allow Washington to adopt the federal NEPA document, and a hydraulic project approval is required for the surface‑water and fish‑passage work. Perez presented two culvert alternatives for salmon habitat: a longer culvert with walls to expose more open drainage and a shorter, less expensive culvert that requires more land for sloped approaches. He said the drainage feeding the creek is likely seasonal.

Council members pressed staff on scope, cost and timing. "Last time we updated the estimate, it was about $550,000,000," Perez said when asked about total project cost. He estimated full buildout could take on the order of 15 years if all phases were funded, with individual phases lasting roughly three to five years. Right‑of‑way acquisition and design tasks tied to phase 1 are expected through 2026 and into 2027.

Council members also raised the project’s competition with other regional priorities, including a Highway 18 "triangle" project. Perez said both efforts would primarily seek state funding and that council direction on priorities would shape where staff focus lobbying and grant efforts.

Other practical implications discussed included ownership of portions of the existing S 320th Park & Ride (the state could convey parcels usable for right‑of‑way), the potential to reuse surplus park‑land as open space if the city acquires it, extension of the BPA trail across I‑5 and a shared‑use path on S 324th, and coordination to limit power outages when BPA lines are relocated.

No formal votes or motions were taken during the special study session; the presentation closed after a question‑and‑answer period and the meeting adjourned to the regular council meeting schedule.