Transportation

From tolls on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to improvements to roads causing traffic jams, Gig Harbor Now reporters stay on top of issues that affect getting where you’re going.

Don’t expect to see ramp meters on eastbound Highway 16 used very often

Oct 16, 2023 | By:

Ramp meters on Gig Harbor-area onramps to eastbound Highway 16 are active as of Monday, Oct. 16. But you probably won’t see them used very often, unless something bad happens. The Washington State Department of Transportation announced on Oct. 2 that the new meters would be re-activated. They were used during construction of the second

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Plan to clear trees at Tacoma Narrows Airport delayed

Oct 10, 2023 | By:

The first phase of Pierce County’s plans to improve safety at Tacoma Narrows Airport is delayed, the county announced last month.  The cost to remove trees and erect fencing around the airport exceeded a Federal Aviation Administration grant for that purpose. The county still plans to go forward with the project, which the FAA requires for safety

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Streetlight bulb failures leave part of Gig Harbor in the dark

Oct 09, 2023 | By:

In 2017, the city of Gig Harbor installed LED bulbs in each of its 1,200 streetlights, replacing old metal halide bulbs. The upgrade cost about $300 per bulb. The change reduced energy consumption and saved the city money on its power bills. It also reduced the amount of time the public works staff spent replacing

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Ramp meters on eastbound Highway 16 on-ramps to be activated soon

Oct 03, 2023 | By:

Correction: This story has been updated to correct an error. The ramp meters were used for a short period before being de-activated. The Washington state Department of Transportation will activate ramp meters, which control traffic merging onto a freeway, starting Oct. 16 at Gig Harbor’s onramps to eastbound Highway 16.  The meters are already in

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Purdy project open to salmon, not yet to cars

Sep 21, 2023 | By:

As the Purdy culvert replacement winds down to a December completion, fish passage work at Highway 16 will shift eastbound drivers into the median until Fall 2024.

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Pierce Transit restoring partial trolley service beginning July 1

Jun 01, 2023 | By:

The agency continues to battle a driver shortage, but progressed enough from last year to bring back trolleys on Thursdays and Saturdays.

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Wollochet road improvements among projects receiving state funds

Apr 25, 2023 | By:

State budgets also included money for PenMet’s community recreation center and restoration of Whiteman Cove on Key Peninsula.

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Highway 16 crashes paralyze Gig Harbor streets

Mar 29, 2023 | By:

A collision last week not only shut down the highway but clogged side roads. Though the wreck was more severe than usual, it’s not unusual for repercussions to extend into Gig Harbor.

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State Patrol asks for help in ID’ing people involved in Highway 16 crash

Mar 23, 2023 | By:

Washington State Patrol detectives are asking for help in identifying a man who fled the scene of a collision Wednesday, March 22, on Highway 16 near Highway 302 — or his girlfriend. The collision closed Highway 16 from about 1 p.m. until about 7 p.m. Wednesday. A 73-year-old Gig Harbor woman suffered serious injuries, according

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Westbound Highway 16 closed while police search for crash suspect

Mar 22, 2023 | By:

A wrong-way driver hit a car head-on near the Pierce-Kitsap county line and fled into the woods.

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