SR 7/ SR 507 to 99th St S - Corridor Improvements - Pre-design Online Open House

Welcome!

Help shape the future of State Route 7 – Learn about and provide input on the proposed improvements for SR 7 between SR 507 to 99th Street South. Your input will help identify walking, bicycling and rolling improvements along the project corridor.

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Project overview

Every day, thousands of people rely on SR 7, also known as Pacific Avenue South, in Pierce County. SR 7 supports people who travel to work, school, recreation, and local businesses. It connects the communities of Spanaway, Parkland and Midland to the City of Tacoma and Joint Base Lewis-McChord. SR 7 also provides access to regional routes like SR 512 and SR 507.

The Washington State Department of Transportation is planning improvements to SR 7 between SR 507 and 99th Street South. This section will be repaved as part of WSDOT preservation program. WSDOT is also looking at ways to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes along SR 7 and make the corridor comfortable for all users.

This online open house shares existing conditions, introduces transportation improvements WSDOT is evaluating, and gives you an opportunity to provide feedback on potential improvements.

SR 7 between SR 507 and 99th Street South

Existing conditions

The project team reviewed existing conditions, transportation data and community feedback to better understand how the corridor is functioning today. Data helped inform potential opportunities for future transportation improvements as part of this preservation project.

The team reviewed the following:

Driveways
Environmental conditions
Existing plans and projects
Speed and crash data
Sidewalks and bike lanes
Traffic counts
Transit service

WSDOT crash data

Between 2020 and 2024, there were 1,938 crashes along the SR 7 project corridor, including 62 crashes that resulted in fatality or serious injury.

Fatal and serious injury crashes by type:

26 vehicle crashes
20 pedestrian crashes
12 motorcycle crashes
4 bicycle crashes

Top contributing factors:

Impaired driving
Failure to yield right-of-way

Most common crash types:

Same-direction sideswipe
Pedestrian-involved crashes

Map of crashes on SR 7 between SR 507 and 99th Street South from 2020 to 2024. Warmer colors show higher crash concentrations; yellow circles show fatal or serious-injury crashes. The map shows where crashes occurred between 2020 and 2024. Warmer colors indicate areas with more crashes, and yellow circles mark locations of fatal or serious injury crashes

Data source: WSDOT Crash Data

Under 23 U.S. Code § 148 and 23 U.S. Code § 407, safety data, reports, surveys, schedules, lists, compiled or collected for the purpose of identifying, evaluating, or planning the safety enhancement of potential crash sites, hazardous roadway conditions, or railway-highway crossings are not subject to discovery or admitted into evidence in a Federal or State court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages arising from any occurrence at a location mentioned or addressed in such reports, surveys, schedules, lists, or data.

What we heard

During early outreach, community members, corridor users and project partners shared the following key takeaways:

Heavy traffic and high speeds create mobility challenges along the SR 7 corridor.
Missing sidewalks and crosswalks make walking and rolling uncomfortable and not accessible for all users.
Many users rely heavily on transit to travel along SR 7.

Input from partner group and community members identified areas along SR 7 where improvements to safety, access and traffic management are needed:

SR 704/176th Street South
Military Road South/152nd Street East
112th Street South
99th Street South to 121st Street
SR 512 interchange

Improving how people travel along SR 7

In addition to pavement preservation work, this project will identify opportunities to improve how people travel on and across the corridor. Proposed improvements will help to make walking, biking and rolling more comfortable while supporting travel for all users.

Since 2022, Washington law has required WSDOT highway projects to follow Complete Streets principles. This means designing state highways to reduce the potential for fatal and serious injury crashes, improve accessibility and comfort for all users and better connect state highways with local communities.

When developing potential improvements, the project team focused on these Complete Streets principles:

Comfortable travel for all users
Reduce the potential for fatal and serious injury crashes
Improve access management to reduce conflicts at driveways and side streets
Support future growth and travel needs

Intersection improvements

The project team selected seven intersections for more analysis based on existing vehicle operations, spacing constraints, and crash history involving people walking, biking and driving. Potential improvements to these intersections include roundabouts, lane configurations and improved pedestrian crossings.

A map shows orange dots on a line to mark the screened intersections between SR 507 and SR 512. The intersections are shown from left to right at 176th Street South, Military Road South, 138th Street South, 131st Street South, 112th Street South, and near the SR 512 interchange at 108th Street South. A legend identifies the screened intersections, and a scale shows distances up to one mile. These intersections will be reviewed to identify opportunities to improve mobility and access for all users

Existing cross section (typical)

Image shows the typical existing cross section of SR 7. The roadway is approximately 96 feet wide and fits within 100 feet of state right-of-way along most of the corridor

Most of SR 7 includes:

5-foot sidewalks
Drainage ditches
5-foot bike lanes next to vehicle lanes
Two vehicle lanes in each direction
A center turn lane
Bus pullouts at bus stops

Potential improvements

The following potential improvements show different ways SR 7 could be improved. They are organized into two categories:

Active transportation options improve comfort, safety and connectivity for people walking, rolling, biking and accessing transit.
Roadway options improve how vehicles move through the corridor while supporting comfortable crossings and access to destinations.

Additional improvements are also identified that can be combined with different active transportation and roadway options to improve safety, accessibility and corridor operations.

The potential improvements reflect community and agency priorities, including:

Options to reduce the potential for fatal and serious injury crashes
Comfort for people walking, rolling, biking, accessing transit and driving
Access to transit and community destinations
East-west connections and crossings
Support for future growth and changing travel needs
Balance for all travel modes and roadway operations

These potential improvements meet WSDOT Complete Streets requirements by improving connectivity and comfort for people who bike, walk, and roll. All proposed improvements will require further analysis. The final plan for SR 7 may use a combination of proposed improvements based on right-of-way needs, cost and construction feasibility.

Some improvements will be included throughout the corridor and are not shown in the cross-section examples below. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant ramps, detectable warning features and other accessibility improvements will be updated to meet current standards. Bus stop and other transit shelter spaces will also be incorporated in coordination with Pierce Transit. Instead of bus pullouts, buses will stop in the travel lane, helping to reduce travel time and conflicts between buses and people biking.

Active transportation options

The following options highlight different potential active transportations facilities for SR 7.

Buffered bike lane and separated sidewalk

From left to right, a sidewalk, space for greenery, a one-way bike lane, a striped buffer with a flexible post and a vehicle travel lane. A person walks on the sidewalk, a person rides a bike in the bike lane, and a car travels in the adjacent vehicle lane. Labels identify each part of the cross section: sidewalk, greenery, bike lane, buffer and vehicle lane.

This option is similar to the existing bike lane and adds a buffer with flexible posts or other vertical separation between people biking and vehicle traffic. Greenery would separate the bike lane and sidewalk.

Shared-use path

From left to right, a shared-use path with a person walking and a person biking, a greenery strip separating the path from the roadway, and a vehicle lane with a vehicle traveling alongside the path. Labels identify the shared-use path, greenery and vehicle lane.

This option provides a wider dedicated path for people walking, biking and rolling. The path would be separated from the vehicle lanes by greenery. People walking, biking and rolling would share the path and travel in both directions.

Sidewalk-level bike lane and sidewalk

From left to right, the cross section includes a sidewalk, a one-way bike lane separated by a cane-detectable strip, a greenery strip, and a vehicle travel lane. A person walks on the sidewalk, a person rides a bike in the bike lane, and a car travels in the adjacent vehicle lane. Labels identify: sidewalk, bike lane, greenery and vehicle lane.

This option provides clearly marked spaces for people biking and people walking or rolling. This marking would reduce the number of conflicts between people biking and people walking or rolling. Bike lanes would be one-way, with southbound bike lanes on the west side of SR 7 and northbound bike lanes on the east side. The sidewalk and bike lane would be the same level and separated by a detectable strip for people using canes. Greenery would separate the sidewalk and bike lane from the roadway.

Left to right, a bike lane and a sidewalk separated by a cane detectable strip featuring raised bumps that can be felt by people using a cane.

An example of a sidewalk-level bike lane with a cane detectable strip

Two-way bike lane and sidewalk

From left to right, a sidewalk, a two-way bike land, greenery trip, and vehicle lane. A person walks on the sidewalk, two people ride on bikes in opposite directions in the bike lane, and a car travels in the adjacent vehicle lane. Labels identify: sidewalk, two-way bike lane, greenery and vehicle lane.

This option is similar to the sidewalk-level bike lane and sidewalk option but includes additional width to allow people biking to travel northbound or southbound on both sides of the road. The sidewalk and bike lane are separated by a cane detectable strip. The sidewalk and bike lane remain separated from the roadway by greenery.

Roadway options

The following roadway options highlight different potential lane configurations for SR 7.

Center turn lane

From left to right, the roadway shows two lanes for oncoming traffic, a center turn lane, and two lanes for traffic in the opposite direction. A vehicle is shown traveling in each lane. Labels identify: vehicle lane, vehicle lame, center turn lane, vehicle lane, vehicle lane.

SR 7 currently has a center turn lane that allows people driving to turn left across oncoming traffic. This provides access to driveways and side streets. However, center turn lanes also create more points where vehicles can cross paths and that can increase the potential for fatal and serious injury crashes.

Median

From left to right, the roadway shows two lanes for oncoming traffic, a median, and two lanes for traffic in the opposite direction. A vehicle is shown traveling in each lane. Labels identify: vehicle lane, vehicle lane, median, vehicle lane, vehicle lane

A median separates traffic traveling in opposite directions. It reduces head-on and left-turn conflicts and can reduce the potential for fatal and serious injury crashes. Access to side streets and driveways on the other side of the road are provided by U-turns, roundabouts or left turns at controlled intersections to access the side street network. The median would be located between controlled intersections and would not replace left turns at signalized intersections or roundabouts.

Median and restricted turn lanes

From left to right, the roadway shows two lanes for oncoming traffic, a restructed turn lane, and two lanes for traffic in the opposite direction. A vehicle is shown traveling in each lane. Labels identify: vehicle lane, vehicle lane, median, restricted turn lane, vehicle lane, vehicle lane

This option is similar to a standard median but includes wider medians and left turn lanes at some locations. These turn lanes would provide access to side streets and major driveways.

Other proposed improvements

Based on community and partner feedback, the project team is considering additional potential improvements to supplement active transportation and roadway options at specific locations along SR 7.

Sidewalk-level driveway crossings

Many driveways along SR 7 require people walking and rolling to leave the sidewalk and cross at roadway level. Sidewalk-level driveway crossings keep the sidewalk flat across driveways. This can make walking and rolling more comfortable and encourage drivers to slow down when entering or leaving a driveway.

Illustration of a sidewalk-level driveway crossing where the sidewalk stays level across a driveway and vehicles cross over a raised area. Example of a sidewalk-level driveway crossing. The sidewalk stays level while vehicles cross it to enter or leave a driveway

Raised crosswalks at roundabouts

Raised crosswalks at roundabouts help to encourage slower vehicle speeds and increase comfort for people walking and rolling.

From left to right, a two way road, one lane in each direction with a speed hump and raised pedestrian crossing, bike path, and a pedestrian walking sign. Source: Jeramey Jannene/Urban Milwaukee. Example of a raised crosswalk shown across a speed hump

Queue jumps

Queue jumps allow buses to move ahead of other traffic at select intersections and reduce delays for people riding transit. A northbound queue jump is already in place at the 112th Street intersection.

A transit signal mounted above an intersection helps buses move through traffic more efficiently while coordinating with other traffic signals. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Example of a traffic signal with designated transit signal

Business access and transit lanes

This proposed improvement replaces a vehicle lane in each direction with lanes dedicated to buses and right turns to provide access to businesses and side streets. This improvement would be limited to locations where vehicle volumes allow fewer lanes and could reduce transit travel time.

Speed management

WSDOT is proposing to reduce the speed limit on SR 7 between SR 507 and 99th Street to 30 miles per hour (MPH) to give drivers more time to react to conflicts and reduce the potential for fatal and serious injury crashes. Along with the lower speed limits, WSDOT is working to make other changes that will encourage slower driving speeds.

A 30 miles per hour speed limit sign Speed limit sign

Lighting

Lighting improves visibility and comfort during low-light and nighttime conditions. It helps people driving, walking, biking and rolling see each other.

From left to right, night view of a four lane road with vehicles in each direction, a bike lane, planting strip and street lights, two people walking down sidewalk.

AI-generated image. Example of pedestrian lighting providing higher visibility in low light conditions

Trees and shade

Trees and shade increase comfort and provide sun or rain protection for people walking, biking, rolling and waiting for transit. WSDOT is considering this improvement where gaps in the existing tree and shade cover along SR 7 have been identified.

Street trees in planting strip provide shade along the sidewalk.

Source: Paul Krueger/Wikimedia Commons, via Planetizen. Example of a greenery strip with trees providing shade along a sidewalk

Signal timing modifications

Changing how traffic signals are timed can help reduce speeds and conflicts and increase comfort for corridor users. Changes to how traffic lights are coordinated along the corridor can reduce the opportunity for drivers to exceed the speed limit. Providing people walking and rolling a few extra seconds to enter a crosswalk before vehicles get a green light can help drivers see them before turning. Protected left-turn phases can reduce the potential for fatal and serious injury crashes and provide more protection for people walking and rolling in crosswalks.

A pedestrian signal displays a countdown timer, letting people know how much time they have left to cross the street safely.

Source: Los Angeles Walks Example of a pedestrian countdown signal

Access management

Access management limits some driveways and side streets with stop signs to right turns only. This reduces conflicts caused by vehicles turning left across traffic. This improvement is often paired with medians but can also be used without them.

From left to right, the image shows a sidewalk, a tree, a vehicle right-turn lane, a raised curb with a “Do Not Enter” sign, another vehicle right-turn lane, and a sidewalk. The raised curb separates opposing traffic movements and restricts left turns.

Example of access management at J Street and South 10th Street in Tacoma

Project background

What is happening on SR 7 between SR 507 and 99th Street South?

This section of SR 7 between SR 507 and 99th Street South is due for repaving as part of the WSDOT preservation program. A new roadway surface helps keep roads in good condition and reduces the frequency of emergency repairs. In addition to paving, WSDOT is also looking at ways to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes and make travel more comfortable for all users of SR 7.

The pre-design must meet the requirements of Complete Streets and the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act.

Complete Streets is an approach to planning, designing, building, operating and maintaining transportation systems so people of all ages and abilities can safely and conveniently access destinations. In Washington, Complete Streets requirements apply to WSDOT projects based on cost thresholds established by the Legislature in 2022.

The HEAL Act builds on WSDOT’s commitment to environmental justice. It focuses on the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, color, national origin or income, in decisions that affect their environment and health. It also works to reduce harm and improve conditions for communities that are more affected by environmental disparities.

What does “pre-design” mean?

Pre-design is an early step in planning a project. WSDOT studies the area, gathers information and talks with community members and agency partners to identify improvements before full engineering design starts.

The pre-design step helps WSDOT better understand opportunities to improve:

Safety concerns
Traffic needs
Americans with Disabilities Act needs
Walking, biking and rolling challenges
People and goods movement
Transit service challenges
Community values and priorities

Community feedback during the pre-design phase will help refine transportation improvements that will move forward into final design. The total cost will be determined once the design is complete.

Timeline

Project timeline showing SR 7 pre-design work in 2026, community engagement and alternatives development, followed by design, funding and construction phases to be determined.

Partner and community engagement

WSDOT is working with a range of partners and community members throughout the pre-design process. This includes tribes, local agencies, transit providers, schools, emergency responders, community-based organizations (CBOs), businesses, and people who live, work, travel or visit the corridor.

WSDOT created the SR 7 Partner Group to help provide feedback throughout the project and to help inform the pre-design. The project team has also contacted more than 500 businesses along SR 7 and is planning additional opportunities for community members and partners to share their ideas. Our goal is to ensure everyone in the community has a voice in the development of this project.

This online open house and the in-person open house on Aug. 19, 2026, will help WSDOT gather feedback from community members to develop improvements that will better meet the needs of people who use and rely on SR 7.

Engagement to date

18 listening sessions with community members, CBOs and project partners in May
Two SR 7 Partner Group meetings in June and July
Outreach to businesses in the pre-design area
Shared project information through summer tabling in Pierce County:
- Sprinker’s 50th Celebration
- Pierce County Trail Days
Coordination with agencies, schools, businesses and community-based organizations (CBOs)

Graphic showing groups engaged in the SR 7 pre-design process: tribes, local agencies, transit providers, schools, emergency responders, community-based organizations, businesses, and people who live, work, travel or visit the corridor.