A single fact about APWA Washington’s Transportation Project of the Year stands out: more than 10 million tons of freight are hauled over the Port of Tacoma Road every year.

With use like that, it’s no surprise the road was in disrepair.

With use like that, it’s clear what a critical freight corridor it is.

With use like that, it could have been a logistical nightmare to repair it.

In 2016, the vast and complex Port of Tacoma Road Rehabilitation Project was led by the City of Tacoma and Port of Tacoma. SCJ’s role was to provide transportation planning, transportation design, and public outreach services.

SCJ Engineering Manager Dan Ireland shared, “The Port of Tacoma is a vital piece of our state’s economy with constantly moving parts. There is no off switch. We needed to find the best ways to keep it working while we fixed it.”

Transportation planners conducted analyses to evaluate project impacts on commercial truck queuing and intersection level of service. They also estimated the potential vehicle and commercial truck emissions.

Transportation designers performed the constructability review and developed a strategy to maintain Port operations during construction. This work element included preparing construction staging and sequencing plans, roadway marking plans, and traffic control plans. It also identified detour truck routes and alternative truck storage locations. The team also designed the future Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) conduit infrastructure for the corridor.

For public outreach, SCJ organized and facilitated a series of open houses to engage and inform local business owners, port employees, truckers, and other interested stakeholders.

“When I heard the City won Project of the Year, it made sense to me,” Dan said. “The importance and complexity of the project was extraordinary, and I was proud we were part of the team to get it done.”