Community Corner

Headed To The Fair? Weekend Road Closure Sends Motorists on 6-Mile Detour

The weekend closure of State Route 162 will happen the first weekend of the Puyallup Fair.

From WSDOT:

A weekend highway closure during the Puyallup Fair is a rare occurrence. The closure on State Route 162 east of Puyallup is necessary, however, as crews must take advantage of a slim timeframe to replace an aging culvert. 

Beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, until 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 16, crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will close all lanes of SR 162 for 3 miles between Pioneer Way East and Old Military Road East. Motorists will be detoured via Pioneer Way East, Shaw Road, 122nd Street East and Old Military Road East.

During the closure, crews working near Ball Creek will remove the highway surface and two two-foot culverts beneath it, and install a new, 12-foot concrete box culvert. Once the new culvert is in place, crews will repave and reopen the highway. 

“We try to keep highways open during special events like the Puyallup Fair,” said Olympic Region Administrator Kevin Dayton. “We know it’s not ideal, but sometimes we have to plan our work around unique circumstances. We’re asking people to be understanding, to take other routes and plan for a little extra time to reach their destinations that weekend.” 

The timing of the work is dictated by a specifically-permitted “fish window,” a period during which the fewest fish are present in an aquatic system. To help keep traffic moving throughout the weekend, local law-enforcement officers will provide traffic control at key intersections during high-volume traffic times. The detour adds 6.3 miles to motorists’ trips and, depending on traffic volumes, about 15 minutes of travel time. 


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