Interstate 705

I-705 is the shortest Interstate Highway in Washington, at {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} in length, and primarily serves as a connector between I-5 and Downtown Tacoma.{{cite web |date=January 26, 2022 |title=Table 3: Interstate Routes in Each of the 50 States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico |url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table03.cfm |work=Route Log and Finder List |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |accessdate=March 14, 2022}}{{cite web |title=Project: I-705 Connector in Washington |url=https://planningtools.transportation.org/290/view-case-study.html?case_id=31 |work=EconWorks Case Studies |publisher=American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials |accessdate=March 14, 2022}} It begins as a continuation of SR 7 at an interchange with I-5 south of downtown Tacoma, near the Tacoma Dome and America's Car Museum.{{google maps |title=Interstate 705 |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/47.2331777,-122.4324285/47.255782,-122.4368897/@47.2444522,-122.4429723,2980m/am=t/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!4m1!3e0 |accessdate=March 14, 2022}} The freeway passes under I-5, following a gulch south until it terminates at South 38th Street; SR 7 continues beyond Tacoma on Pacific Avenue towards Spanaway and Mount Rainier National Park.{{cite WSDOT map |year=2014 |inset=[https://web.archive.org/web/20201017225814/https://wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2017/08/31/highway-map-Tacoma.pdf Downtown Tacoma] |accessdate=March 14, 2022}}

The freeway travels north with an exit to South 26th Street serving the Tacoma Dome and the adjacent Tacoma Dome Station transit complex. I-705 passes over the T Line streetcar near South 25th Street station and continues north to a single-point urban interchange with SR 509 at South 21st Street, which provides access to the University of Washington Tacoma campus and Port of Tacoma. Following a freight railroad, the freeway passes the Washington State History Museum and Union Station near the Bridge of Glass, a pedestrian overpass that crosses I-705 and links the Museum of Glass on the Thea Foss Waterway shore to downtown Tacoma.{{cite news |last=Reif |first=Rita |date=July 21, 2002 |title=A Pyramid for New Treasures of an Age-Old Art |at=sec. 2, p. 26 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/21/arts/art-architecture-a-pyramid-for-new-treasures-of-an-age-old-art.html |work=The New York Times |accessdate=March 14, 2022}}

The northbound lanes separate near the Bridge of Glass, with one splitting into offramps serving South 15th Street and A Street, the latter of which is also served by a southbound onramp.{{cite map |date=June 22, 2007 |title=SR 705 – Junction 15th Street/A Street |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tools/InterchangeViewer/pdf/SR705/705X001.pdf |work=Interchange Viewer |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |accessdate=March 14, 2022}} I-705 then crosses under South 11th Street near the Murray Morgan Bridge and terminates at an onramp from South 9th Street adjacent to Fireman's Park, which cantilevers over the southbound lanes.{{cite map |date=June 30, 2015 |title=SR 705 – Junction 9th Street/Schuster Parkway |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tools/InterchangeViewer/pdf/SR705/705X002.pdf |work=Interchange Viewer |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |accessdate=March 14, 2022}} The freeway continues northwest onto Schuster Parkway, with a separate set of flyover ramps that end at an at-grade intersection with Stadium Way near the Old City Hall.

As a component of the Interstate Highway System, the entirety of I-705 is listed as part of the National Highway System, a national network of roads identified as important to the national economy, defense, and mobility;{{cite web |year=2017 |title=State Highway National Highway System Routes in Washington |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/travel/hpms/pdf/washington-2017-state-highway-nhs-list.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |accessdate=March 14, 2022}} it is also part of the state government's Highway of Statewide Significance program, recognizing its connection to major communities.{{cite web |date=July 26, 2009 |title=Transportation Commission List of Highways of Statewide Significance |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2006/03/16/HSSlist2009mod2.pdf |publisher=Washington State Transportation Commission |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724190950/http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/50EC9EB9-DB3D-4823-B5D2-5348409FB8CE/0/HSSlist2009mod2.pdf |archive-date=July 24, 2013 |accessdate=January 8, 2011}} The freeway is maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which conducts an annual survey of traffic volume that is expressed in terms of annual average daily traffic. Average traffic volumes on the highway in 2020 ranged from a minimum of 26,000 vehicles at its southern terminus to a maximum of 62,000 vehicles between I-5 and SR 509.{{cite map |year=2020 |title=Traffic GeoPortal |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/data/tools/geoportal/?config=traffic |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |cartography=Maxar Technologies |accessdate=September 2, 2021}}

File:I-705 approaching WA-509.jpg

The state government's plans for a regional tollway connecting Tacoma to Seattle and Everett in the early 1950s included a bypass of Downtown Tacoma with several connecting interchanges.{{cite news |last=Myers |first=Bob |date=September 18, 1955 |title=City to have Only Six Access Points to Road |page=A4 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-city-to-have-only-six-a/150081612/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=June 25, 2024}} The plan later formed the basis of I-5, which would be constructed using funds from the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 instead of requiring a toll.{{cite web |last=Wilma |first=David |date=September 4, 2002 |title=Interstate 5 is completed from Everett to Tacoma on January 31, 1967. |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/1354 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=June 25, 2024}} In 1957, city officials from Tacoma proposed the construction of a downtown connector that would travel north from the Pacific Avenue interchange on I-5 (where SR 7 terminates) and improve vehicular access to the central business district. A route along A Street was selected for preliminary studies of either an elevated freeway or one-way couplet.{{cite news |last=Gibbs |first=Al |date=May 18, 1971 |title=Document Details History Of Tacoma Spur Freeway |page=3 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-document-details-histor/150081121/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=June 25, 2024}}

The opening of the Tacoma Mall along I-5 in 1965 caused a reduction in the number of retailers in Downtown Tacoma, which remained only accessible via local streets from the freeway.{{cite news |last=Heberlein |first=Greg |date=December 3, 1989 |title=State of the State, Part 7: Second Chance |page=E1 |work=The Seattle Times}} The lost business, combined with worsening congestion in Downtown Tacoma, prompted downtown retailers to ask the state government for an improved connection to I-5. The state Department of Highways had advanced their study into a downtown connector as part of SR 509 that would become an eventual freeway link.{{cite book |author=Washington State Department of Transportation |date=September 1979 |title=State Route 509 (Interstate 705) Pacific Avenue Interchange to Port of Tacoma Road Interchange Final Environmental Impact Statement |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |oclc=41692702 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ynM2AQAAMAAJ |via=Google Books |access-date=March 4, 2017}}{{rp|1–5}} In 1968, the Department of Highways adopted the routing of a freeway into Downtown Tacoma along the western side of the City Waterway, to be constructed over railroad right of way.{{rp|6}} The project, then part of a new freeway corridor for State Route 509 through the Port of Tacoma, was approved by the Tacoma City Council in 1971, but further planning was suspended at the time due to funding issues.{{rp|7}}

In 1978, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approved the designation of the Tacoma Spur as I-705.{{AASHTO minutes |year=1978S |page=5 |link=yes |v-link=yes |access-date=March 4, 2017}} The Federal Highway Administration had tentatively numbered the route as "Interstate 105", but the Washington State Department of Transportation had requested the use of "705" as it would not conflict with SR 105, an existing highway.{{cite news |date=August 3, 1978 |title=It's official—Tacoma Spur known as I-705 |page=A1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81150274/its-officialtacoma-spur-known-as/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=July 9, 2021}}{{cite web |last=Bulley |first=W. A. |date=May 2, 1978 |title=Route Numbering, I-5 Tacoma Spur |page=10 |url=https://grmservices.grmims.com/vsearch/portal/public/na4/aashto/default |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |via=American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials |access-date=September 29, 2020}} The Washington State Legislature approved the addition of I-705 into the state highway system in April 1979.{{cite web |url=http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=47.17.819 |title=47.17.819: State Route No. 705 |year=1979 |work=Revised Code of Washington |author=Washington State Legislature |author-link = Washington State Legislature |publisher=Washington State Legislature |access-date = January 8, 2011}}{{cite book |author=Washington State Legislature |date=April 23, 1979 |title=Washington Laws, 1979 1st Extraordinary Session |chapter=Chapter 33: State Highway Routes |pages=1119–1120 |url=http://leg.wa.gov/CodeReviser/documents/sessionlaw/1979ex1c33.pdf |publisher=Washington State Legislature |access-date = March 4, 2017}}

While funding was identified in the 1970s, construction on the freeway was not completed until the next decade because of federal budget cuts.{{cite news |last=Harper |first=Robert |date=April 16, 1980 |title=12 state road projects budget casualties |page=A1 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PVJOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Me4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2310%2C428634 |work=The Spokesman-Review |via=Google News Archive |access-date=January 8, 2011}}{{cite news |last=Virgin |first=Bill |date=October 26, 2006 |title=At 50, interstates feeling their age |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/virgin/289978_virgin26.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061109045501/http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/virgin/289978_virgin26.html |archive-date=November 9, 2006 |access-date=March 4, 2017}} Construction began with a groundbreaking on July 26, 1982, for the first portion of the Tacoma Spur, a ramp connecting I-5 to the Tacoma Dome area.{{cite news |last=Syphee |first=Richard |date=July 27, 1982 |title=Finally, city breaks ground for Tacoma Spur |page=A3 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-finally-city-breaks-gr/150080417/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=June 25, 2024}} The offramp connecting southbound I-5 to East 26th Street was dedicated on April 21, 1983, a day before the Tacoma Dome opened to the public.{{cite news |last=Sypher |first=Richard |date=April 21, 1983 |title=Dome off-ramp opens in rain |page=A4 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114953605/dome-off-ramp-opens-in-rain/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=December 20, 2022}} Construction on the rest of I-705 began in 1983; it required the demolition of the Union Station concourse shortly after passenger trains were rerouted to a new Amtrak station in 1984.{{cite news |last=Song |first=John |date=August 5, 1984 |title=Wrecking ball rolls in with a rush |page=B1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-wrecking-ball-rolls-in/150080670/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=June 25, 2024}}

The northbound lanes of I-705 between South 22nd and South 13th streets opened on October 27, 1986,{{cite news |last=Turner |first=Joseph |date=October 25, 1986 |title=First link of I-5 spur to open Monday |page=A10 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-first-link-of-i-5-spur/150082824/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=June 25, 2024}} and was followed in August 1987 by a connection to Schuster Parkway.{{cite news |date=August 28, 1987 |title=Another Spur section opens today |page=B2 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-another-spur-section-op/150082944/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=June 25, 2024}} The freeway was dedicated on October 17, 1988, with a parade and ribbon-cutting;{{cite news |last=Szymanski |first=Jim |date=October 16, 1988 |title=Spur is city's link to future |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81130973/spur-is-citys-link-to-future/ A1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81131003/spur-is-citys-link-to-future-part-2/ A12] |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81130973/spur-is-citys-link-to-future/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=July 9, 2021}} I-705 cost $102.3 million to construct and was the last new Interstate to be completed in the state of Washington.{{cite news |last=Bailey |first=Gil |date=October 14, 1988 |title=Tacoma is big on new little freeway |page=C2 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}{{cite news |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19980329/2742290/in-the-6th-district-dicks-keeps-delivering |title=In the 6th District, Dicks Keeps Delivering |last=Nelson |first=Robert T. |date=March 29, 1998 |work=The Seattle Times |access-date = January 8, 2011}} The Tacoma City Council in 1992 proposed to name the freeway Martin Luther King Way, however that name was finally applied to nearby K Street.{{cite news |last=Clements |first=Barbara |date=December 9, 1992 |title=K Street to get King's name, council decides |page=B1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86119892/k-street-to-get-kings-name-council-dec/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=September 28, 2021}} Work on the single-point urban interchange, costing $29.4 million (equivalent to ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US-GDP|29.4|1993|r=0}}}} million in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}), was completed in 1993 to accommodate the changes that were made to SR 509 through Tacoma.{{cite news |title=Senate Bill Provides Millions for Roads |last=Higgins |first=Mark |date=March 2, 1993 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |page=B1}}

{{WAinttop|county=Pierce|location=Tacoma|length_ref=|unnum=yes}}

{{WAint

|mile=0.00

|road={{jct|state=WA|I|5|SR|7|dir2=south|city1=Seattle|location2=Portland|location3=Mount Rainier}}

|notes=Southern terminus; roadway continues as SR 7

}}

{{WAint

|type=incomplete

|mile=0.08

|road=East 26th Street – Tacoma Dome

|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance

}}

{{WAint

|mile=0.72

|road={{jct|state=WA|SR|509|dir1=north|road|South 21st Street|city1=Port of Tacoma}}

|notes=

}}

{{WAint

|type=incomplete

|mile=1.15

|road=A Street – Tacoma City Center

|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance; exit includes direct ramp to South 15th Street

}}

{{WAint

|type=incomplete

|mile=1.43

|road=South 9th Street

|notes=Southbound entrance only

}}

{{WAint

|type=incomplete

|mile=1.50

|mspan=2

|road={{jct|state=WA|extra=hospital}} Stadium Way / Commerce Street

|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance

}}

{{WAint

|mile=none

|road=Schuster Parkway

|notes=Northern terminus

}}

{{jctbtm|col=4|keys=incomplete}}

• {{Portal-inline|U.S. Roads}}
• {{Portal-inline|United States}}

{{reflist}}

{{Attached KML|display=inline,title}}

• [https://www.angelfire.com/wa2/hwysofwastate/i705.html Highways of Washington State]
• [https://www.aaroads.com/interstate-guide/i-705-wa/ Interstate Guide.com]

{{3di|5}}

05-7

05-7

7 Washington

Interstate 05-7

Category:Transportation in Pierce County, Washington