Transportation Improvement Board
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 Projects — TIB Funding Cycles

FY 2024 UAP Selections

City of Sumner
Stewart Road White River Bridge
Butte Ave E to 140th Ave Ct E
TIB Award Amount
$6,000,000
Region: Puget Sound   |   Legislative District: 31   |   Length: 0.17 mi. FY 2024 Urban Arterial Program (UAP)

Existing Conditions

Stewart Road is a major east-west corridor, connecting significant portions of South King and North Pierce County to SR 167. Users rely on this route for access to/from Lakeland Hills (Auburn), Pacific, Bonney Lake, Edgewood, Pierce County, and Sumner. Right now, the bridge is a major road block for transportation above and the river below. For transportation, freight relies on the route as a vital connection between the Port of Tacoma and warehousing/distribution facilities in the Sumner-Pacific Manufacturing Industrial Center. Employers express frustration about the existing functionally obsolete bridge. The current 232-foot long bridge has only two lanes with no shoulders or sidewalks. Past investments, including from TIB, in four-lanes throughout the rest of the corridor cant be realized with this bottleneck in the middle. No safe option exists for bicycles or pedestrians, forcing them to share narrow vehicular travel lanes with commuters and freight. For the river, the existing bridge is too low. Flooding has threatened this corridor repeatedly. The bridge has two in-water piers, which consistently collect large logs and debris that regularly float down the river. Major water and gas lines attached to the bottom of the bridge are under threat from flooding and from debris strikes.

Project Funding

  TIB Funds Local Funds Total Costs
Design 0 0 0
Right of Way 0 0 0
Construction 6,000,000 21,447,350 27,447,350
Project Totals $6,000,000 $21,447,350 $27,447,350

Local Match

TIB Participation Local Match Minimum Local Match
21.9% 78.1% 20%

Description of Improvements

This bridge replacement simultaneously solves issues for vehicles, freight, non-vehicular options and the river. The new bridge includes four vehicle lanes, matching the rest of the 3-mile corridor. The project will provide interconnects to signal systems between Butte Ave and 140th Ave Ct E. For non-motorized connections, this bridge includes a 14-foot-wide shared-use path on the north side with a concrete barrier for separation. It provides a safe link that is the last major missing piece to connect the Interurban Trail from Renton to the Sumner Link Trail and on to Puyallup, Orting Mt Rainier via the Foothills Trail. This new bridge also allows for better flow of the White River beneath it, improving safety for humans and habitat. The new bridge will be almost 100 feet longer, up to 16 feet higher at the high point, and reduce the number of piers in the water from two to one. These changes both reduce the chances of funding and improve river habitat for critical salmon runs. Note: the corridor changes names as it passes through various jurisdictions, being referred to as Stewart Road, 8th Street East, Lake Tapps Parkway East, and Jovita Boulevard East. They are all the same route.