10-mile backups expected during upcoming NB 167 closure

SUMNER, Wash. — Transportation officials are warning drivers to expect miles-long backups this weekend with the closure of northbound State Route 167.

Starting at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 20, crews will close four miles of northbound SR 167 throughout the weekend. The highway will reopen at 4 a.m. Aug. 23.

WSDOT said the closure will start on northbound SR 167 at the SR 410 interchange in Sumner and end at 8th Street East in Pacific. The 24th Street East on-ramp to northbound SR 167 will also be closed.

Crews plan to make modifications on bridge decks to add a new northbound HOV lane. This includes adding more roadway surfaces and modifying drainage on the bridge.

The new lane is scheduled to open in the spring of 2022.

Drivers should plan ahead if they must go through the detour route.

Officials said there are two approved detour routes for the weekend closure. One route is for semi-trucks, and the other is for passenger vehicles.