Enumclaw joins those lobbying for 169 study

By Kevin Hanson, The Courier-Herald

Realizing that state Route 169 provides a vital link between Enumclaw and King County communities to the north, the city has agreed to join forces with other regional jurisdictions in an effort to secure money for a highway study.

Enumclaw has banded with Renton, Maple Valley and Black Diamond to form an sttate Route 169 Improvement Consortium. Other groups supporting the effort are the Enumclaw and Tahoma school districts, plus the chambers of commerce in Enumclaw, Renton and Maple Valley/Black Diamond. The effort has been spurred by the city of Maple Valley.

Members of the Enumclaw City Council recently offered their support to a resolution that asked for three things:

€ that the state Legislature fund a state Route 169 corridor study.

€ that the state Transportation Committee reclassify state Route 169 as a "Highway of Statewide Significance" to increase funding opportunities.

€ that King County classify the entire stretch of state Route 169 as part of its regional arterial network.

The resolution adopted by the City Council notes there has been significant growth along the 169 corridor and "there are parts of the highway that clearly need more capacity and safety improvements to catch up with this growth wave." In addition, the 169 corridor remains one of the areas most likely to become more congested, according to the Growth Management Act.

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