{"id":70640,"date":"2024-09-09T13:47:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T20:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/news\/wsdot-online-open-house-details-sr-509-i-5-plans-in-kent\/"},"modified":"2024-09-09T13:47:00","modified_gmt":"2024-09-09T20:47:00","slug":"wsdot-online-open-house-details-sr-509-i-5-plans-in-kent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kentreporter.com\/news\/wsdot-online-open-house-details-sr-509-i-5-plans-in-kent\/","title":{"rendered":"WSDOT online open house details SR 509\/I-5 plans in Kent"},"content":{"rendered":"
People interested in learning more about the State Route 509 expressway construction work planned in Kent can visit an online open house through Friday, Oct. 25.<\/p>\n
Contractor crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) have begun work on the final stage of the State Route 509 Completion Project, according to a Sept. 4 WSDOT news release.<\/p>\n
This fall, crews will begin excavating the remaining 2 miles of the expressway between 24th Avenue South and South 188th Street in SeaTac. The first mile of the new tolled expressway, located between Interstate 5 and 24th Avenue South, is already under construction and scheduled to open in 2025 as part of Stage 1b of the project.<\/p>\n
This stage of the SR 509 Completion Project, which is currently in progress, builds the first mile of new tolled expressway between I-5 and 24th Avenue South, new I-5 ramps, new interchanges, a tunnel under I-5 (at Veterans Drive near Kent) and a new South 216th Street bridge.<\/p>\n
Crews will build 3 miles of new tolled highway between I-5 and South 188th Street near the south end of Sea-Tac International Airport. The new highway will be completed in stages. The portion currently under construction between I-5 and 24th Avenue is scheduled to open in 2025. The final stage will build the remaining 2 miles of the expressway between 24th Avenue South and South 188th Street.<\/p>\n
The entire project is planned for completion by 2028 and will provide an alternative route between Kent and Seattle by using SR 509.<\/p>\n
The new portion of SR 509 will be tolled, according to WSDOT. Throughout construction and after completion, people will still be able to use their current access points to SR 509 and I-5, and people will not pay tolls on the roads they use today. The rates will vary depending on traffic.<\/p>\n
The SR 509 Completion Project is part of WSDOT’s Puget Sound Gateway Program, which also includes the SR 167 Completion Project in Pierce County. Combined, the two completion projects finish critical missing links in Washington’s highway and freight network. The cost is $2.69 billion, according to WSDOT.<\/p>\n