PUYALLUP – Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation are getting ready to activate a new traffic signal at the eastbound State Route 512 ramp to SR 161/31st Avenue Southwest.
As early as Monday, April 26, the intersection at the eastbound SR 512 ramp to SR 161 will be temporarily controlled by law enforcement while crews activate the new signal. Travelers may see minor delays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
What’s changing
The current eastbound SR 512 exit to 31st Avenue Southwest/SR 161 has a free right turn at the end of the ramp. Over the past month, crews added a second right turn lane and a new signal to control the flow of traffic going south on SR 161.
Work to add additional lanes and capacity at this busy interchange began on March 15. Final lane striping is expected to occur on the project sometime in May.
This project is implementing some of the short term improvement strategies identified in the SR 161 – 31st Avenue SW Corridor Study, conducted by the city of Puyallup and WSDOT. The study used a Practical Solutions approach to help identify ways to reduce congestion and improve traffic operations at this interchange.
Additional planned maintenance and construction closures can be found online at the WSDOT Pierce and Thurston County travel planner. Before heading out the door, travelers can find the latest information on the WSDOT app and by following the WSDOT regional Twitter feed.
To many long red lights on meridian that’s the problem . Meridian needs to be more like canyon , 45 mph and less traffic lights.