Project overview
This project will create new non-motorized access for people between Tillicum and the rest of Lakewood.
What to expect
Work begins with select tree removal along the 1.3 mile shared use path.
WSDOT recognizes the importance of trees. They are much more than aesthetic. WSDOT has worked to minimize tree removal to build the new shared-use path.
Gravelly-Thorne Connector will provide new access for people who walk, bicycle or roll from Gravelly Lake Drive south to Thorne Lane.
Project overview
People who want to walk between Lakewood’s Tillicum neighborhood to other Lakewood communities have no options.
While people biking is allowed on this section of I-5, they are restricted beyond Gravelly Lake Drive.
The Tillicum neighborhood is landlocked by Joint Base Lewis-McChord, American Lake, Camp Murray and I-5.
The 1.3-mile shared use path will provide a non-motorized path between the Tillicum neighborhood and other Lakewood communities. The shared use path is 14-feet wide.
Fire trucks and other emergency vehicles can use the path in its entirety as an alternative to I-5.
Part of a larger puzzle
The Gravelly-Thorne Connector is part of a suite of improvements that also adds a new HOV lane in both directions of I-5 between DuPont and Lakewood.
The shared-use path builds on previous work that rebuilt the Thorne Lane and Berkeley Street overpasses. Both feature enhanced access for people who walk or roll.
WSDOT is currently building a new Steilacoom-DuPont Road interchange that features a shared-use path between JBLM’s DuPont Gate and DuPont.
The Gravelly-Thorne Connector will work in concert with future Sound Transit plans for Tillicum. The path will also be accessible by emergency services.
History
The initial Gravelly-Thorne Connector proposal included one motor vehicle lane and a shared-use path, to be built in stage 4 of the overall I-5 - Mounts Road to Thorne Lane I/C - Corridor Improvements project.
In the second phase of construction during the overall project, the design-build contractor, Guy F. Atkinson Construction, included in their design a new auxiliary lane to southbound I-5 between Gravelly Lake Drive and Thorne Lane. This new auxiliary lane provides capacity for traffic entering southbound I-5 at Gravelly Lake Drive and exiting at Thorne Lane or Berkeley Street. Based on traffic analysis, this new addition to the design in stage 2 construction replaced the motor-vehicle lane that was initially included in the Gravelly-Thorne Connector proposal.
Shared-Use Path
Initially included in stage 4 construction was a proposed bicycle and pedestrian path between Lakewood and DuPont, providing a multi-modal option for travel beyond the Gravelly-Thorne Connector project.
A stakeholder engagement process evaluated options and determined that a Shared-Use Path alignment through Lewis North (parallel to roads open to the public) would best meet this need. The shared use path between Lakewood and DuPont will be addressed in a future project, separate from the Gravelly-Thorne Connector project.
