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.
In July 2015, the Washington State Legislature included $495 million to fund the I-5 Mounts Road to Thorne Lane Interchange - Corridor Improvements project, as part of the Connecting Washington transportation package. This project is funded through a 10 year period, from 2015-2025.
Gravelly-Thorne Connector estimated costs for engineering, right-of-way and construction total $31.5 million.
The Gravelly Thorne Connector is far from an easy task. There are multiple complex challenges due to location, terrain, and acquisition costs.
Project will build a 200-foot-long bridge that connects to Gravelly Lake Drive Southwest. The trail runs from a deep gully to reach the road. The bridge is built to accommodate fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. It also will be built to modern seismic standards.
There were extensive utility conflicts at the intersection of the trail and Gravelly Lake Drive.
Construction will require retaining walls. The structural walls are required to the soils and hillsides in the area.
Privacy screen along Gravelly Lake Drive.
Compressed construction timeline to avoid conflicts with the Tacoma Country and Golf Club.
