Washington State Route 512

{{Short description|State highway in Pierce County, Washington, US}}

{{good article}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2015}}

{{Infobox road

|state=WA

|type=SR

|route=512

|section=690

|map=Washington State Route 512 Map.svg

|map_notes=Map of Pierce County in western Washington with SR 512 in red.

|length_mi=12.06

|length_round=2

|length_ref={{WSDOT State Highway Log |year=2017 |pages=1498–1502 |link=yes |accessdate=November 28, 2018}}

|established=1964

|direction_a=West

|terminus_a={{jct|state=WA|I|5}} in Lakewood

|junction={{plainlist|

|direction_b=East

|terminus_b={{jct|state=WA|SR|161|SR|167}} in Puyallup

|county=Pierce

|previous_type=SR

|previous_route=510

|next_type=SR

|next_route=513

}}

State Route 512 (SR 512) is a suburban state-maintained freeway in Pierce County, Washington, United States. It travels {{convert|12|mi|km|0}} from west to east, connecting Interstate 5 (I-5) in Lakewood to SR 7 in Parkland and SR 167 in Puyallup. The freeway travels north–south through Puyallup, concurrent with SR 161.

The freeway follows the route of several county roads that were incorporated into Secondary State Highway 5G (SSH 5G) in 1937. The highway was renumbered to SR 512 in 1964 and gradually replaced by a freeway that was constructed between 1959 and 1973. The Puyallup section was initially built as a two-lane expressway until further funding was allocated by the state government to complete it as a four-lane freeway in 1976.

Further projects widened sections of SR 512 and added new interchanges to address increased demand caused by urban development along the freeway. Recent proposals have included interchange upgrades and the addition of high-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV lanes).

Route description

File:SR 512 eastbound from SR 7 in Parkland, WA.jpg]]

SR 512 begins at a partial cloverleaf interchange with I-5 in Lakewood, a suburb of Tacoma in the Seattle metropolitan area. The interchange only uses three cloverleaf ramps, with turns from southbound I-5 to eastbound SR 512 allowed via a traffic signal; beyond the interchange, the highway continues west to an intersection with South Tacoma Way.{{cite web |date=July 22, 2015 |title=SR 5 – Exit 127: SR 512/South Tacoma Way |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tools/InterchangeViewer/pdf/SR005/005X127.pdf |work=Interchange Viewer |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |access-date=November 28, 2018 |archive-date=February 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212131021/https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tools/InterchangeViewer/pdf/SR005/005X127.pdf |url-status=live }} The six-lane freeway travels southeast along the north side of Joint Base Lewis–McChord and intersects Steele Street before it enters the suburban Parkland area. SR 512 then intersects Pacific Avenue (part of SR 7) at an interchange near the Pacific Lutheran University campus.{{google maps |title=State Route 512 |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/47.1634642,-122.481262/47.2027848,-122.2783534/@47.1805293,-122.4148228,13z/am=t/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!4m1!3e0 |access-date=November 28, 2018}}{{cite web |date=September 11, 2017 |title=SR 512: Junction SR 7/Pacific Avenue |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tools/InterchangeViewer/pdf/SR512/512X002.pdf |work=Interchange Viewer |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |access-date=November 28, 2018 |archive-date=February 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212130639/https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/MapsData/tools/InterchangeViewer/pdf/SR512/512X002.pdf |url-status=live }}

The freeway continues east with four lanes through Midland, where it passes under overpasses for school buses and the Tacoma Rail system, before an interchange with Portland Avenue near Franklin Pierce High School.{{cite map |date=January 2016 |title=2015 Washington State Rail System by Owner |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/1FA0FD58-C5AD-46A8-BE95-1D2FC904D66F/0/2015WashingtonRailSystem.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215221814/http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/1FA0FD58-C5AD-46A8-BE95-1D2FC904D66F/0/2015WashingtonRailSystem.pdf |archive-date=February 15, 2019 |access-date=November 28, 2018}} SR 512 then crosses over Swan Creek and enters the exurban area of Summit, where it passes residential subdivisions and farms that surround a junction with Canyon Road, the main route to the Frederickson industrial area.{{cite web |title=Connecting Our Industrial Centers |url=https://www.piercecountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3380 |publisher=Pierce County Public Works |accessdate=March 28, 2022 |archive-date=March 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304071127/https://www.piercecountywa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3380 |url-status=live }} The freeway travels into Puyallup and intersects 94th Avenue East on the west side of the South Hill Mall. It then turns north and reaches an interchange with SR 161 at 31st Avenue Southwest, marking the beginning of a concurrency between the two state routes.

SR 512 and SR 161 continues north through the residential neighborhoods of Puyallup towards the Washington State Fairgrounds and turns east to intersect Meridian Street. The freeway then travels around downtown Puyallup to the east and intersects Pioneer Avenue before it crosses over the BNSF Railway's Seattle Subdivision tracks and the Puyallup River.{{cite web |date=October 3, 2004 |title=SR 512: Junction Pioneer Avenue |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tools/InterchangeViewer/pdf/SR512/512X011.pdf |work=Interchange Viewer |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |access-date=November 28, 2018 |archive-date=February 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212113040/http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tools/interchangeviewer/pdf/SR512/512X011.pdf |url-status=live }} SR 512 terminates shortly after crossing the river at a trumpet interchange with SR 167.{{cite web |date=November 19, 2013 |title=SR 167: Junction SR 512 |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tools/InterchangeViewer/pdf/SR167/167X006.pdf |work=Interchange Viewer |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |access-date=November 28, 2018 |archive-date=February 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212133019/https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tools/InterchangeViewer/pdf/SR167/167X006.pdf |url-status=live }} SR 161 travels west with SR 167 to an intersection with Meridian Avenue, which it follows to Federal Way; SR 167 continues east to Sumner and turns north onto the Valley Freeway.{{cite map |date=August 24, 2016 |title=City of Puyallup Street Map |url=https://www.cityofpuyallup.org/DocumentCenter/View/953/City-StreetMap-PDF- |publisher=City of Puyallup |access-date=November 28, 2018 |archive-date=November 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129142334/https://www.cityofpuyallup.org/DocumentCenter/View/953/City-StreetMap-PDF- |url-status=live }}

SR 512 is maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which conducts an annual survey on state highways to measure traffic volume in terms of annual average daily traffic. Average traffic volumes on the highway in 2016 ranged from a minimum of 44,000 vehicles at its eastern terminus with SR 167 to a maximum of 110,000 near its western terminus at I-5.{{cite report |year=2017 |title=2016 Annual Traffic Report |pages=197–198 |url=http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/travel/pdf/Annual_Traffic_Report_2016.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |access-date=November 28, 2018 |archive-date=August 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812180326/http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/travel/pdf/Annual_Traffic_Report_2016.pdf |url-status=live }} The entire route of SR 512 is designated 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 |access-date=November 28, 2018 |archive-date=August 28, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828072008/https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/travel/hpms/pdf/washington-2017-state-highway-nhs-list.pdf |url-status=live }} and is listed as a Highway of Statewide Significance by the state legislature.{{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/20191128203658/https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2006/03/16/HSSlist2009mod2.pdf |archive-date=November 28, 2019 |access-date=November 28, 2018}}

History

=Early roads=

File:WA-SSH5-G.svg

The first road to connect Fort Steilacoom and areas of modern-day Lakewood to the Puyallup Valley was Byrd's Mill Road, established in 1852 and designated by the Oregon territorial government as an official government road. It was later upgraded into a military road and saw use during the 1855 Puget Sound War to carry soldiers and evacuated settlers from the Puyallup Valley.{{cite news |last=Kellogg |first=Caroline |date=February 13, 1977 |title=Time Machine: A road linking past of Steilacoom and Puyallup |page=A7 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98405261/time-machine-a-road-linking-past-of/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 25, 2022 |archive-date=March 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326033704/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98405261/time-machine-a-road-linking-past-of/ |url-status=live }} Byrd's Mill Road was designated as a state historical road in 1941 by the Washington state government, which funded the erection of historic markers at two sites.{{cite web |last=Tate |first=Cassandra |date=November 3, 2004 |title=Washington Legislature designates Byrd's Mill Road as State Historical Road No. 1 in 1941. |url=http://www.historylink.org/File/7120 |work=HistoryLink |access-date=November 29, 2018 |archive-date=December 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216114026/http://historylink.org/File/7120 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Hosmer |first=Page R. |date=January 6, 1952 |title=Historical Markers in Tacoma Vicinity; Road of Pioneers Again Established |page=6 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98405391/historical-markers-in-tacoma-vicinity/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 25, 2022 |archive-date=March 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326033533/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98405391/historical-markers-in-tacoma-vicinity/ |url-status=live }}

By the turn of the 20th century, Lakeview (now Lakewood) was connected to Parkland and Puyallup by a series of country roads that were straightened in the early 1910s to form Lakeview–Puyallup Road (now 112th Street South).{{cite web |date=January 2014 |title=Washington State's Historic State Roads: Historic Context for Island, Snohomish, King, Pierce, and Kitsap Counties |pages=180–181 |url=https://dahp.wa.gov/sites/default/files/Roads%20Historic%20Context.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation |accessdate=March 30, 2022 |archive-date=April 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410082640/https://www.dahp.wa.gov/sites/default/files/Roads%20Historic%20Context.pdf |url-status=live }}{{cite map |date=March 1900 |title=Tacoma Quadrangle, Washington |type=Topographic map |scale=1:125,000 |url=https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/ht-bin/tv_browse.pl?id=d368892e380de9b8e4a48f40cdd38d1a |publisher=United States Geological Survey |access-date=November 28, 2018 |archive-date=March 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326042059/https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/ht-bin/tv_browse.pl?id=d368892e380de9b8e4a48f40cdd38d1a |url-status=live }}{{cite map |last=Thompson |first=M. Roy |year=1914 |title=Map of Pierce County, Washington |publisher=Pierce County Board of Commissioners |url=https://content.libraries.wsu.edu/digital/collection/maps/id/973 |via=WSU Libraries Digital Collections |accessdate=March 25, 2022 |archive-date=April 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414125509/https://content.libraries.wsu.edu/digital/collection/maps/id/973 |url-status=live }} The road remained graveled until a series of paving projects were completed by the county government in the 1920s and 1930s with funding from the state government.{{cite news |date=July 19, 1929 |title=How to Reach Airport to See Pacific Plane |page=1 |work=The Tacoma News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98407183/how-to-reach-airport-to-see-pacific/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 25, 2022 |archive-date=March 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326042059/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98407183/how-to-reach-airport-to-see-pacific/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=February 4, 1932 |title=Paving Bids Called |page=5 |work=The Tacoma Daily Ledger |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98407233/paving-bids-called/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 25, 2022 |archive-date=March 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326042100/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98407233/paving-bids-called/ |url-status=live }}{{cite WSDOT map |year=1934 |accessdate=March 25, 2022}} It was then incorporated into the state highway system in 1937 as Secondary State Highway 5G (SSH 5G), which connected Primary State Highway 5 (PSH 5) in Puyallup to PSH 1 in Lakeview.{{cite book |date=March 18, 1937 |title=Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1937 |chapter=Chapter 207: Classification of Public Highways |page=1003 |chapter-url=http://leg.wa.gov/CodeReviser/documents/sessionlaw/1937c207.pdf |publisher=Washington State Legislature |access-date=November 27, 2018 |archive-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831000014/https://leg.wa.gov/CodeReviser/documents/sessionlaw/1937c207.pdf |url-status=live }}{{cite WSDOT map |year=1938 |accessdate=March 25, 2022}} The highway used a section of Meridian Avenue that was later co-signed with SSH 5N, which was created in 1955.{{cite book |date=March 21, 1955 |title=Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1955 |chapter=Chapter 383: Highways |page=1586 |chapter-url=https://leg.wa.gov/CodeReviser/documents/sessionlaw/1955c383.pdf |publisher=Washington State Legislature |accessdate=March 28, 2022 |archive-date=October 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019212252/http://leg.wa.gov/CodeReviser/documents/sessionlaw/1955c383.pdf |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Hannula |first=Don |date=June 25, 1960 |title=Glass-Breaking Road Made Paved Highway |page=3 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98615113/glass-breaking-road-made-paved-highway/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 28, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329025951/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98615113/glass-breaking-road-made-paved-highway/ |url-status=live }}

=Freeway planning and construction=

The state government approved plans for a network of limited-access freeways in July 1953, including SSH 5G as part of a system to serve Puyallup.{{cite news |date=July 19, 1953 |title=State Plans For Limited Access Roads |page=C15 |work=The News Tribune |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98623032/state-plans-for-limited-access-roads/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 29, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329072919/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98623032/state-plans-for-limited-access-roads/ |url-status=live }} The freeway would connect PSH 1 (replaced by I-5) to the future Valley Freeway (PSH 5, now SR 167) in Puyallup.{{cite news |last=Fleming |first=Ken |date=March 20, 1957 |title=State Outlines Route Of Freeway in City |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98541906/state-outlines-route-of-freeway-in-city/ 1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98541936/state-outlines-route-of-freeway-in-city/ 7] |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98541906/state-outlines-route-of-freeway-in-city/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328034150/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98541906/state-outlines-route-of-freeway-in-city/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Stansfield |first=Dick |date=September 10, 1959 |title=Freeways for Tacoma Nice to Dream About |page=A5 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98406193/freeways-for-tacoma-nice-to-dream-about/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 25, 2022 |archive-date=March 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326035518/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98406193/freeways-for-tacoma-nice-to-dream-about/ |url-status=live }} The first section opened on October 1, 1959, as part of the project to build I-5 through South Tacoma and connected the Lakewood interchange to Steele Street north of 112th Street (also known as Airport Road).{{cite news |last=Stansfield |first=Dick |date=October 1, 1959 |title=Ceremony Opens New Freeway |page=1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98535046/ceremony-opens-new-freeway/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328000620/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98535046/ceremony-opens-new-freeway/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=August 4, 1963 |title=Opening of Freeway Section Set |page=A4 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98535606/opening-of-freeway-section-set/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328001405/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98535606/opening-of-freeway-section-set/ |url-status=live }} Land along the next section of the freeway to Pacific Avenue (SR 7) was cleared of homes and other buildings by early 1959 and $859,000 in construction funds were approved by the state legislature that year.{{cite news |last=Betts |first=William J. |date=April 12, 1959 |title=Superhighways Traverse Historic Ground |page=6 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98409211/superhighways-traverse-historic-ground/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 25, 2022 |archive-date=March 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326053039/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98409211/superhighways-traverse-historic-ground/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=January 12, 1959 |title=State Allots 156 Million For Highway Expansion |page=2 |work=The News Tribune |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98542534/state-allots-156-million-for-highway/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328034652/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98542534/state-allots-156-million-for-highway/ |url-status=live }} Construction on the {{convert|1.5|mi|km|adj=mid}} extension to Pacific Avenue began in August 1962 and was completed in December 1963 after delays due to wet weather.{{cite news |last=Tewkesbury |first=Don |date=November 17, 1963 |title=Parkland Limited Access Route to New Freeway To Open Soon; Will Relieve Traffic Problems |page=A20 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98407296/parkland-limited-access-route-to-new/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328034651/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98407296/parkland-limited-access-route-to-new/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Hannula |first=Don |date=November 29, 1963 |title=Just Ignore Signs On New Freeway |page=1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98405565/just-ignore-signs-on-new-freeway/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 25, 2022 |archive-date=March 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326034016/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98405565/just-ignore-signs-on-new-freeway/ |url-status=live }}

SSH 5G was replaced by SR 512 as part of a statewide renumbering of highways that took effect in January 1964;{{cite web |date=December 1, 1965 |title=Identification of State Highways: Legislative Highway Numbers With Corresponding Sign Route Numbers |page=17 |publisher=Washington State Highway Commission |url=http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2005/04/26/Identification-of-state-highways.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202073838/https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2005/04/26/Identification-of-state-highways.pdf |archive-date=February 2, 2020 |accessdate=April 4, 2022}} SR 512 signage on the new freeway had already been installed with to reflect the change, despite the potential for public confusion. The {{convert|1.6|mi|km|adj=mid}} section from the partially completed Pacific Avenue overpass to Portland Avenue began construction in June 1965 and was opened to traffic on February 28, 1967.{{cite news |date=March 1, 1967 |title=Polk Street Freeway Open for Traffic |page=C12 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87066213/polk-street-freeway-open-for-traffic/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=November 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102103839/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87066213/polk-street-freeway-open-for-traffic/ |url-status=live }} The project, part of a $1.13 million contract, included the construction of a new railroad overpass and a pedestrian–school bus overpass at Franklin Pierce High School.{{cite news |date=July 17, 1966 |title=Tacoma Highway Network Grows Bigger, More Complex, Prettier |page=B10 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97642260/tacoma-highway-network-grows-bigger/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315052823/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/97642260/tacoma-highway-network-grows-bigger/ |url-status=live }} The high school's original American football and track and field stadium was demolished to make way for the freeway, which bisected the campus; a new stadium was opened in 1963 using funds from the state government that were awarded as compensation.{{cite news |last=Cardwell |first=Rod |date=February 27, 1963 |title=F. Pierce Has Face-Lifting Campus Job |page=A6 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98548457/f-pierce-has-face-lifting-campus-job/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328034150/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98548457/f-pierce-has-face-lifting-campus-job/ |url-status=live }}

=Puyallup freeway construction=

File:SR 167 southbound at SR 512 and SR 161 in Puyallup, WA.jpg at its interchange with SR 512 and SR 161 in Puyallup]]

Plans for the Puyallup section of SR 512, including an elevated viaduct near downtown and four interchanges, were endorsed by the city council in 1966.{{cite news |date=June 11, 1966 |title=Hearing Scheduled For Valley Highways |page=2 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87065899/hearing-scheduled-for-valley-highways/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=November 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102213820/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/87065899/hearing-scheduled-for-valley-highways/ |url-status=live }} A cut in funds from the Highway Trust Fund announced by the federal government in January 1967 led to delays in construction, design work, and land acquisition for the remainder of the freeway from Parkland to Puyallup.{{cite news |last=Cummings |first=Robert C. |date=January 9, 1967 |title=$3.3 Million Asked For Nalley Freeway |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98550404/33-million-asked-for-nalley-freeway/ 1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98550417/33-million-asked-for-nalley-freeway/ 4] |work=The Tacoma News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98550404/33-million-asked-for-nalley-freeway/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328051729/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98550404/33-million-asked-for-nalley-freeway/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Cummings |first=Robert C. |date=January 13, 1967 |title=Federal Fund Cutback Delays Highway Work |page=1 |work=The Tacoma News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98550457/federal-fund-cutback-delays-highway-work/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328051229/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98550457/federal-fund-cutback-delays-highway-work/ |url-status=live }} The {{convert|3.5|mi|km|adj=mid}} section from Portland Avenue to Canyon Road began construction in 1968 and was opened in August 1970.{{cite news |last=Ferguson |first=Richard |date=March 26, 1968 |title=Early Finish Due Seen for Freeway |page=8 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88309245/early-finish-due-seen-for-freeway/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=November 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106080736/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88309245/early-finish-due-seen-for-freeway/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Ferguson |first=Richard |date=April 25, 1972 |title=Princess Cuts Ribbon For Freeway Stretch |page=6 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81417598/princess-cuts-ribbon-for-freeway-stretch/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328051729/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81417598/princess-cuts-ribbon-for-freeway-stretch/ |url-status=live }} The state government revised its plans for the Puyallup section ahead of construction bidding in 1969. Parts of the freeway were reduced to a divided two-lane expressway in the interim to save costs on the $11 million elevated viaduct.{{cite news |last=Ferguson |first=Richard |date=June 21, 1968 |title=Puyallup Viaduct Cost Is $11 Million More |page=A13 |work=The News tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98552338/puyallup-viaduct-cost-is-11-million/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328051231/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98552338/puyallup-viaduct-cost-is-11-million/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Ferguson |first=Richard |date=February 12, 1969 |title=State Lops Two Lanes From Valley Freeway |page=C7 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98552369/state-lops-two-lanes-from-valley-freeway/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328051232/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98552369/state-lops-two-lanes-from-valley-freeway/ |url-status=live }}

Construction of the freeway extension from Canyon Road to 94th Avenue in southern Puyallup began in August 1969 and was completed on April 25, 1972, following a nine-month delay due to poor weather conditions.{{cite news |last=Eyres |first=John |date=August 10, 1969 |title=Work to Start Near Puyallup on State Highway 512 Construction Project |page=B2 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98552590/work-to-start-near-puyallup-on-state/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328054925/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98552590/work-to-start-near-puyallup-on-state/ |url-status=live }} It cost $2.2 million to construct the {{convert|3|mi|km|adj=mid}} section, which included a temporary connection to Meridian Avenue (SR 161) to bypass a congested section of 112th Street.{{cite news |last=Ferguson |first=Richard |date=March 23, 1972 |title=Valley Freeway Said on Schedule |page=A10 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98553077/valley-freeway-said-on-schedule/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328054926/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98553077/valley-freeway-said-on-schedule/ |url-status=live }} Preliminary work on the two-lane expressway through Puyallup began in early 1971 under a $3.72 million contract that covered {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} between SR 161 and Pioneer Avenue.{{cite news |last=Garrett |first=Harold |date=February 1972 |title=Construction Round-Up |page=23 |work=Washington Highways |volume=23 |issue=1 |publisher=Washington State Department of Highways |oclc=29654162 |url=https://cdm16977.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16977coll1/id/5912/rec/7 |via=WSDOT Library Digital Collections |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=October 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027073434/https://cdm16977.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16977coll1/id/5912/rec/7 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Ferguson |first=Richard |date=May 16, 1971 |title=Construction to Clog Valley Roads Awhile |page=A17 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98553148/construction-to-clog-valley-roads-awhile/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328054922/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98553148/construction-to-clog-valley-roads-awhile/ |url-status=live }} Over {{convert|1.25|e6sqyd}} of earth was excavated to make way for the freeway through a cut in South Hill near the Washington State Fairgrounds.{{cite news |date=October 17, 1972 |title=Puyallup Freeway Due Open in May |page=27 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98553328/puyallup-freeway-due-open-in-may/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328054929/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98553328/puyallup-freeway-due-open-in-may/ |url-status=live }} The Puyallup section—including one of two bridges over the Puyallup River—was dedicated and opened to traffic on December 13, 1973, completing the link to a partial interchange with SR 167.{{cite news |last=Kadyk |first=James |date=December 14, 1973 |title=Freeway link finally dedicated |page=A15 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88309263/freeway-link-finally-dedicated/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=November 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106035118/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88309263/freeway-link-finally-dedicated/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Kadyk |first=James |date=December 5, 1973 |title=Puyallup Freeway nears reality—everyone's happy |page=D6 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88308956/puyallup-freeway-nears/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=November 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104030644/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88308956/puyallup-freeway-nears/ |url-status=live }}

The state government approved $3 million in funds to replace the two-lane expressway in Puyallup with a four-lane freeway in late 1973 through the construction of new bridges and overpasses.{{cite news |date=October 23, 1973 |title=State to speed area road work |page=A5 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98553771/state-to-speed-area-road-work/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328061532/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98553771/state-to-speed-area-road-work/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Pugnetti |first=Jerry |date=December 29, 1974 |title=Good year for streets, highways—but... |page=A12 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98553884/good-year-for-streets-highwaysbut/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328061531/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98553884/good-year-for-streets-highwaysbut/ |url-status=live }} The northbound bridge over the Puyallup River opened on August 8, 1975, following additional work to repair a structural deficiency in a pier and weather delays.{{cite news |date=August 8, 1975 |title=Bridge now open |page=B16 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98553780/bridge-now-open/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328061530/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98553780/bridge-now-open/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=July 17, 1975 |title=Puyallup bridge to open in August |page=C9 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81151798/puyallup-bridge-to-open-in-august-sr/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=July 9, 2021 |archive-date=July 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710065245/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81151798/puyallup-bridge-to-open-in-august-sr/ |url-status=live }} The final part of the widening project, a larger interchange to connect SR 512 with SR 167, was completed in July 1976 at a cost of $1.4 million.{{cite news |date=July 12, 1976 |title=Valley road link opens tomorrow |page=A14 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98553994/valley-road-link-opens-tomorrow/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328061530/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98553994/valley-road-link-opens-tomorrow/ |url-status=live }} SR 161 was moved from Meridian Avenue onto SR 512 by 1975, creating a concurrency around downtown Puyallup.{{cite WSDOT map |year=1975 |accessdate=March 27, 2022}}

=Later projects=

The freeway's interchange with Pacific Avenue was rebuilt in 1983 to add a loop ramp to replace a left turn onto westbound SR 512.{{cite news |date=October 25, 1981 |title=Ramp to connect Washington 7 to 512 |page=A15 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98555007/ramp-to-connect-washington-7-to-512/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 28, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328072015/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98555007/ramp-to-connect-washington-7-to-512/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=August 9, 1983 |title=Work on four road projects to start soon |page=A4 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98555018/work-on-four-road-projects-to-start-soon/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 28, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328072016/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98555018/work-on-four-road-projects-to-start-soon/ |url-status=live }} An additional interchange was planned in the 1960s east of Pacific Avenue to serve the Mountain Freeway (to be part of SR 7), which was ultimately never built.{{cite news |last=Hannula |first=Don |date=April 5, 1963 |title='Mountain Freeway' Hearing Draws Crowd |page=D2 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98552391/mountain-freeway-hearing-draws-crowd/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328051230/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98552391/mountain-freeway-hearing-draws-crowd/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Gibbs |first=Al |date=May 16, 1971 |title=Tacoma a Long Haul From Freeway System |page=A17 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81346467/tacoma-a-long-haul-from-freeway-system/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328043213/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81346467/tacoma-a-long-haul-from-freeway-system/ |url-status=live }} The westernmost section of SR 512, between I-5 and SR 7, was widened to eight lanes in 1989 to address congestion between the two major highways.{{cite news |date=October 15, 1988 |title=Highway 512 project will begin next month |page=B2 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98554153/highway-512-project-will-begin-next/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 28, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329040901/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98554153/highway-512-project-will-begin-next/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=September 8, 1989 |title=Crews on the road again |page=B1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98617997/crews-on-the-road-again/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 28, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329040810/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98617997/crews-on-the-road-again/ |url-status=live }}

Increased residential and commercial development in Puyallup's South Hill, including the opening of the South Hill Mall in 1989, brought more traffic and congestion to the SR 512 corridor.{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=L.A. |date=January 18, 1989 |title=Cars, and studies, abound when it comes to South Hill |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622465/cars-and-studies-abound-when-it-comes/ E1]–[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622475/cars-and-studies-abound-when-it-comes/ E2] |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622465/cars-and-studies-abound-when-it-comes/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 29, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329073754/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622465/cars-and-studies-abound-when-it-comes/ |url-status=live }} Several ideas to mitigate the increased traffic were proposed and studied, including high-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV lanes) on SR 512,{{cite news |last=Turner |first=Joseph |date=June 11, 1991 |title=Pierce Transit to study needs through 2010 |page=B1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622588/pierce-transit-to-study-needs-through/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 29, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329074253/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622588/pierce-transit-to-study-needs-through/ |url-status=live }} improved bus service, and the construction of the Cross-Base Highway to provide a southern bypass of McChord Air Force Base.{{cite news |last=Leovy |first=Jill |date=August 29, 1990 |title=Air base road plan gets push |page=E1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622447/air-base-road-plan-gets-push/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 29, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329073753/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622447/air-base-road-plan-gets-push/ |url-status=live }} Pierce Transit opened a park and ride at the freeway's western terminus in 1988,{{cite news |date=November 23, 1988 |title=450-car parkn-and-ride lot opens |page=E7 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622700/450-car-parkn-and-ride-lot-opens/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 29, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329074254/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622700/450-car-parkn-and-ride-lot-opens/ |url-status=live }} which was followed by a transit center at the South Hill Mall in 1999 alongside increased bus service.{{cite news |last=Turner |first=Joseph |date=December 30, 1998 |title=East county to get better bus service |page=A1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622795/east-county-to-get-better-bus-service/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 29, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329073753/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622795/east-county-to-get-better-bus-service/ |url-status=live }}

The mall's first major expansion was planned in the early 1990s and was to include an infill interchange and additional park and ride lot as part of traffic mitigation.{{cite news |last=Wood |first=Rich |date=January 30, 1991 |title=Major stores may fill out mall |page=E1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622885/major-stores-may-fill-out-mall/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 29, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329073751/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622885/major-stores-may-fill-out-mall/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Suttle |first=Gestin |date=March 5, 1994 |title=South Hill residents fear roads bring ruin |page=B1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622935/south-hill-residents-fear-roads-bring/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 29, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329074255/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98622935/south-hill-residents-fear-roads-bring/ |url-status=live }} A half-diamond interchange was built at 94th Avenue East in 1997 at a cost of $4.6 million;{{cite web |date=November 4, 2021 |title=Completed Contracts |page=28 |url=https://www.wsdot.gov/publications/fulltext/construction/projectreports/Completed.pdf-en-us.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105061343/https://www.wsdot.gov/publications/fulltext/construction/projectreports/Completed.pdf-en-us.pdf |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |accessdate=March 30, 2022}}{{cite web |last=Ford |first=Marlene |date=October 24, 1996 |title=City of Puyallup Comments on the Route Development Plan for SR 161 |page=132 |publisher=City of Puyallup Public Works Department |url=https://cdm16977.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16977coll2/id/17674/rec/3 |via=WSDOT Library Digital Collections |accessdate=March 30, 2022 |archive-date=April 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414125509/https://cdm16977.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16977coll2/id/17674/rec/3 |url-status=live }} a park and ride at its northwest corner was opened two years later in response to the use of mall parking lots by commuters.{{cite news |date=August 30, 1995 |title=South Hill traffic on roundtable agenda |page=B5 |work=The News Triune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98739250/south-hill-traffic-on-roundtable-agenda/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 30, 2022 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331172414/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98739250/south-hill-traffic-on-roundtable-agenda/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Tucker |first=Rob |date=June 23, 1999 |title=Open house topic tonight is planned Park & Ride lot |page=EA1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98623117/open-house-topic-tonight-is-planned/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 29, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329073752/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98623117/open-house-topic-tonight-is-planned/ |url-status=live }} WSDOT also completed construction of a westbound truck lane between downtown Puyallup and South Hill in 1994.{{cite news |date=November 29, 1994 |title=Barrier removal will slow traffic on 512 |page=B2 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98738824/barrier-removal-will-slow-traffic-on-512/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 30, 2022 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331172448/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98738824/barrier-removal-will-slow-traffic-on-512/ |url-status=live }}

The cloverleaf interchange with I-5 in Lakewood was modified in the late 1990s{{when|date=March 2022}} to remove the southbound onramp to SR 512 after it had become too congested; by 1994, approximately 20,000 vehicles used the interchange on a daily basis.{{cite news |last=Chavez |first=Paul |date=September 28, 1994 |title=I-5 onramp stoplights coming |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98753316/i-5-onramp-stoplights-coming/ A1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98753330/i-5-onramp-stoplights-coming-cont/ A14] |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98753316/i-5-onramp-stoplights-coming/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 30, 2022 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331172340/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98753316/i-5-onramp-stoplights-coming/ |url-status=live }} To eliminate the weaving between traffic entering and exiting via the southbound ramps, the southbound loop to eastbound SR 512 was replaced by a traffic signal on the existing outer ramp to South Tacoma Way.{{cite news |last=Abe |first=Debby |date=August 3, 1992 |title=Modified ramp would unsnarl traffic where I-5 meets 512 |page=B1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98752635/modified-ramp-would-unsnarl-traffic/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 30, 2022 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331172443/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98752635/modified-ramp-would-unsnarl-traffic/ |url-status=live }} A ramp meter—the first in Pierce County—was installed in 1994 for traffic entering southbound I-5 from SR 512. The traffic signal was intended to be an interim solution until a flyover ramp connecting to eastbound SR 512 could be constructed with additional funding, which had not been granted.{{cite news |last=Tucker |first=Rob |date=June 23, 1998 |title=Questions & Answers |page=B2 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98752786/questions-answers-sr-512-exit/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=March 30, 2022 |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331172444/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/98752786/questions-answers-sr-512-exit/ |url-status=live }}

WSDOT has studied additional projects to address congestion on sections of SR 512, particularly near I-5 and the South Hill Mall. Their long-term plans for HOV lanes on I-5 through Pierce County include an unfunded proposal to fully rebuild the SR 512 interchange and the Steele Street bridge.{{cite web |title=I-5 - SR 16 Tacoma/Pierce County HOV Program – List of projects |url=https://wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/PierceCountyHOV/stagelist.htm |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026082257/https://wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/PierceCountyHOV/stagelist.htm |archive-date=October 26, 2020 |accessdate=March 31, 2022}}{{cite news |last=Sailor |first=Craig |date=November 30, 2021 |title=Is our long, Tacoma traffic nightmare nearly over? I-5 construction nears finish line |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/traffic/article254439378.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=March 31, 2022 |archive-date=April 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414125523/https://account.thenewstribune.com/paywall/subscriber-only?resume=254439378&intcid=ab_archive |url-status=live }} Ramp meters were added to the Steele Street and SR 7 interchanges on SR 512 in 2016 to control westbound traffic during peak periods; WSDOT plans to add ramp meters to all interchanges on SR 512 in both directions when funding is available.{{cite news |last=Lynn |first=Adam |date=February 29, 2016 |title=Traffic Q&A: Ramp meters coming to Route 512-Steele Street interchange |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/traffic/article62899907.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=March 31, 2022 |archive-date=April 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409003220/http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/traffic/article62899907.html |url-status=live }} The SR 161/31st Avenue Southwest interchange near South Hill gained an additional traffic signal and turn lane in 2021 as part of improvements to roads around the mall.{{cite news |last=Peterson |first=Josephine |date=April 30, 2021 |title=State Route 512 ramp in Puyallup to get new traffic signal, added turn lane |url=https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/community/puyallup-herald/ph-news/article250909084.html |work=The News Tribune |accessdate=March 31, 2022 |archive-date=April 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414125520/https://account.thenewstribune.com/paywall/subscriber-only?resume=250909084&intcid=ab_archive |url-status=live }}

Exit list

{{jcttop|state=WA|county=Pierce|unnum=yes|length_ref=}}

{{WAint

|location=Lakewood

|lspan=2

|mile=0.00

|road=South Tacoma Way
{{jct|state=WA|I|5|city1=Tacoma|city2=Seattle}}, Portland

|notes=

}}

{{WAint

|mile=0.63

|road=Steele Street

|notes=

}}

{{WAint

|location=Parkland

|mile=2.22

|road={{jct|state=WA|SR|7|name1=Pacific Avenue|city1=Parkland|city2=Spanaway}}

|notes=

}}

{{WAint

|location=Midland

|mile=3.71

|road=Portland Avenue – Midland

|notes=

}}

{{WAint

|location=Summit

|mile=5.86

|road=Canyon Road – Summit

|notes=

}}

{{WAint

|location=Puyallup

|lspan=5

|type=incomplete

|mile=8.37

|road=9th Street Southwest, 94th Avenue East

|notes=Eastbound exit and westbound entrance

}}

{{WAint

|type=concur

|mile=8.74

|road={{jct|state=WA|SR|161|city1=South Hill|city2=Eatonville}}

|notes=West end of SR 161 overlap

}}

{{WAint

|mile=10.06

|road=Meridian Avenue South – Puyallup

|notes=

}}

{{WAint

|mile=11.12

|road=Pioneer Avenue East – Orting, Puyallup

|notes=Former {{nowrap|SR 162}}

}}

{{WAint

|type=concur

|mile=12.06

|road={{jct|state=WA|SR|161|dir1=north|SR|167|to3=to|SR|410|dir3=east|city1=Milton|city2=Tacoma|city3=Seattle|city4=Yakima}}

|notes=East end of SR 161 overlap

}}

{{jctbtm|keys=incomplete,concur}}

References

{{reflist}}