Federal Way staff outline City Center Access project timeline, closures and coordination with Sound Transit

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…