'Once-in-a-lifetime project' will connect Puyallup to Port of Tacoma

A lot can happen in three decades. Cities change and neighbors come and go. But Fife resident Warren Walsborn and his family stayed.
“Probably about three or four years after I was here, then I started getting notices that we’re going to take your property,” Walsborn said.
Twenty-five years ago, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) was acquiring land for a new expressway project connecting I-5 to the Port of Tacoma. They initially wanted Walsborn’s land, but he did not sell.
He’s now one of the only houses still standing on his street.
“It’s been a rollercoaster of, 'Do I have to move? Can I stay? Where do I go?'" Walsborn said.
The new expressway will be close to his home, but he can stay put. Construction began this summer to alleviate the semi-congestion butting up to his backyard in Fife.
Truck traffic has been a problem for years. The vision of this connector talked about for decades.
“There was a gap in time primarily through the latter part of the ’70s and ’80s where very little happened,” said John White, program administrator for the Puget Sound Gateway Program.
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[@brennantaberna9156]

It's a "once in a life time" project because by the time it's finished, you're only going to see it once in your life time.

[@drivers99]

One more lane bro, I swear we’re gonna fix traffic, just let me have one more lane. Just one more lane, let me have just one more lane. You know what would fix traffic? Trains!

[@artcafe2684]

Agree. Highways are not sustainable. Especially with the current model of one car per person.

[@BC_Geoff]

It connects I5 to the Port of Tacoma. And this isn’t “one more lane” it’s a new roadway that doesn’t go where there is one currently. Having efficient road connections to the Port is a good thing, it gets trucks off city streets and onto the highway quicker. Also it’s tolled, most of the use will be commercial vehicles, exactly the type of vehicles we should be building more roads for. Highways have their place just like trains do. Try living in a world without any freeways. Hint: even the Netherlands has loads of 6 lane freeways criss crossing the country, just look on google maps.

[@xalspaero]

Looks nice. I might go camp there and leave needles and trash and things I stole strewn about.

[@garrettwells5895]

I might camp there and make sure to light stuff on fire because why not.

[@neotheseattledj]

is this the new 20 year long project ?

[@tenofdiamonds6440]

No doubt. 20 years if we’re lucky.

[@CityLifeinAmerica]

If the light rail projects are anything to compare it to, yes, this will be a 50 year long project.

[@abc-jd9se]

Yep, all thanks to government bureaucracy and labor unions. Combine these two and you're looking at a completion date over 20 years. People in the 50s-60s would've had this project finished in 6 months, 1 year tops

[@garrettwells5895]

Project ETA? 25 years. Cant wait!!! Thanks WA!!!

[@MBheli621]

The Hoover Dam took 5 years and 600 mill, adjusted for inflation, and we can’t build a road in less than a quarter of a century. Im sure by the time this is done, it’ll be over due, over budget and underwhelming.

[@ryanjordan1083]

*insert some dumb coward disingenuously whining about infrastructure projects that make our lives better because they'll always be miserable and whine about some trash.*

[@dugfriendly]

perfect song!

[@hugacreeper69110]

nice! love the hendrix!

[@satanslovechild6458]

Make them pay if they want your property get paid man

[@harrychang9250]

inslee should donate all his money for this project

[@tommercer3226]

Wow. We get something out of our exorbitant high vehicle license fees. We even get the excitement of having to wait decades to see it finally get finished. To bad that some people who paid into those fees died years ago. Yep, once in the lifetime of projects that take over a lifetime to complete.

[@troy.peters]

There should be NO toll roads

[@abc-jd9se]

Don't worry about the tolls. We won't be around to pay them because this project will take a lifetime

[@Powder148]

2028 I’ll be out of this state by then lol

[@Triple259772]

Seems like a waste of money, 167 already connects all the way to i5 it just takes slightly longer cause of a few lights. But once you get past those it’s a straight shot to eqc

[@samellis4054]

Yet we can't get roads fixed in eastern Washington 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️ such a waste of money

[@johningraham6547]

How much extra does the project cost so that guy can keep his house?

[@SoapinTrucker]

SMH 🙄

[@suavebill3232]

I don't know I kind of want more L shaped Bridges lol

[@AaronTheHarris]

Just one more freeway bro, it's gonna solve traffic!!

[@michaelawise48]

LMMFAO ❤

[@meatbyproducts]

Yeah... more tolls!

[@ZeroToNero]

Why not add more train tracks?

[@artcafe2684]

The problem is that this is only a stop gap measure. Building more highways and wider highways are all stop gap measures. You see regardless of whether we drive electric or fossil fuel vehicles, the current model is every single person gets a car. Which means eventually there will be too many people (AKA too many cars) on the road and cause congestion on all the highways. Sure you can make the highways 8 lanes per side or 10 lanes per side or add double decker highways, or add more highways. But it's unsustainable. The only way to resolve congestion and lower travel times is to invest in mass transit. Whether it is a Lightrail, trains, metro, buses with dedicated lanes, subways, or any other type of mass transit you can imagine. Yes, the argument is, that no one uses mass transit now. But that's not true, plenty of people use the Buses and Trains to Seattle, WA when they are available. The Lightrail from Tukiwla to Seattle, WA sees plenty of commuters as well as the Lightrail in Downtown Tacoma, WA. The reasons most buses in the Tacoma, WA area go almost empty is they are not frequent enough and they don't leave you where you need to go and they take way too long to get there. If I want to go to Downtown Tacoma, WA from where I live I have to drive to Lakewood, WA to take a bus which takes 45 minutes to get me to the Tacoma, WA dome area. There is no train, bus that takes me from my neighborhood to Downtown, or to Puyallup or to Olympia. If I want to make my trip to Downtown Tacoma, WA to see a Theater production or go to UW from my neighborhood using only mass transit, I have to 1. Wait for the bus to take me to Lakewood Town Center (takes about an hour to get there) 2. Then wait for the bus to take me to the Tacoma Dome area (takes about 45 minutes to get to Downtown) 3. Then either walk and/or take the light rail to get to where I want to get to (Takes roughly about 15 to 30 minutes depending where I am going) That' a total of 2 hours one way and that's a conservative estimate. Why would I do that when I can drive to Downtown Tacoma, WA in 30 minutes? In fact, I could make it to Downtown Tacoma, WA faster on a bicycle from my house than I could with the current buses available. When you provide mass transit that is convenient, frequent and quick then you'll see lower congestion.

[@andrewbauer5201]

ah yes funding for a project that won't alleviate traffic but instead just create another area of congestion. seems logical.

[@ayoitsyayo]

Unions will make this project take 50 years

[@seanmiller292]

Oh joy Puyallup needs more traffic...

[@SoapinTrucker]

Cry about anything, huh? Never mind the truck congestion reduction all of this construction has promoted and defined, right? SMFH

[@HiddenController]

We dont want it...

[@Schnippen_Schnappen1]

Lmao another endless traffic nightmare that will take 20-30 years to be “finished” and will just make things worse 😂

[@andrewbauer5201]

seriously. we have to pay tax $$ for this garbage?

[@Rootbeerpapi1]

Nice.

[@monkeymeat2024]

Force those trucks to drive at night and problem solved.

[@graves74]

How about you just stay home.

[@monkeymeat2024]

@@graves74 I have a life...

[@Plumberslashwaterbender]

So do they lol

[@robinwolf7809]

Could we have more mass transit instead? How about more ferries?! Better paid ferry employees? Could we stop with all this extra highway car culture nonsense.