GIG HARBOR, Wash. — A busy road in Gig Harbor will be closed for the next two years while the city makes some changes.
The main construction activity is anticipated to begin this spring, although an exact date has not yet been released.
The active construction zone runs along the 38th Avenue corridor from 56th Street to Hunt Street, including the two intersections.
According to the city, crews will be extending a sewer line, building a roundabout, and making a series of other upgrades.
The city says it will need to completely close sections of 38th Avenue as work progresses.
The sewer line being installed is very deep underground. Because of that depth, the city says it isn’t safe to keep traffic moving next to the work zone. The benefit, though, is that a gravity-fed line requires much less maintenance.
This project was initiated back in 2008 as part of the city budget, but the scope expanded to include the sewer modifications. The city didn’t allocate design funding for that phase of the project until 2022. Initial onsite work began in September 2024 and continued through the winter of 2025.
Immediate detour routes for north- and south-bound drivers on 38th Avenue are available on the detour map:
Road closures will have utility service and delivery impacts to neighborhoods in the area. Those who live along and near the project boundaries are encouraged to sign up for city email or text alerts on this project by subscribing with the city’s Notify Me tool here, and checking the box for email or text alerts next to Traffic Alerts under the News Flash headline.
“The timing of a project of this scope is never easy, the city shared. “There is never a ‘best’ time to disrupt a key transportation corridor. This is the reality any city faces with major infrastructure upgrades. However, this project is needed and delaying longer would only increase costs and disruptions down the road. It not only improves the condition and safety of the road, it im,proves and extends critical stormwater and city utility infrastructure underground.”
When the project is complete, the city says it will provide safer travel for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, will improve traffic flow at 28th Avenue and 56th Street, modernize city infrastructure, and extend sewer service.
You can read more about this project here.