Puyallup is putting more money into its long-running Shaw Road widening project, signing off this month on a six-figure contract amendment to keep the design work moving. On May 12, the City Council approved extra work so its consultant can wrap up surveying, groundwater monitoring, geotechnical studies and stormwater planning that all have to happen before buying right-of-way or starting construction. The full rebuild into a five-lane corridor is still pegged at roughly $75 million to $90 million, and the city has applied for about $18 million in federal BUILD funds to finish final engineering. For now, the new approval only covers design and environmental work, and there is still no firm construction date on the books.
What Council Approved
The council voted unanimously to add a supplemental agreement with Tacoma-based consultant Psomas to push Phase 4A - the stretch from 25th Avenue Court East to 20th Avenue Court East - through final engineering and environmental review. The amendment pays for more detailed topographic surveying and mapping, expanded wetland and stream delineation, stormwater pond and drainage design, geotechnical investigations and preliminary right-of-way support, and it extends the consultant contract by 12 months. Meeting documents put the value of the supplemental agreement at $100,304.39, as reported by The News Tribune.
Project Scope And Schedule
City project materials show the Shaw Road corridor between 12th Avenue SE and 23rd Avenue SE would be rebuilt as a five-lane street with sidewalks, a shared-use path and upgraded utilities and culverts aimed at improving fish passage. The city's project page lists Preliminary Engineering as funded through December 2026, with right-of-way acquisition estimated for 2027 to 2028 and a possible construction window in 2029 to 2030, according to City of Puyallup.
Costs, Grants And Timeline
Design and construction for the 12th-to-23rd segment now carry an estimated price tag of about $75 million to $90 million, city spokesperson Eric Johnson told The News Tribune. Puyallup has applied for roughly $18 million in federal BUILD grant funding to finish final design work and sharpen its understanding of right-of-way needs. Officials say actually paying to build the project will likely require stacking multiple grant awards with local matching dollars before any construction schedule can be locked in.
Why The Work Is Complex
Engineering staff have flagged environmental limits and tricky drainage as major reasons this corridor is so expensive and slow to design. The expanded scope folds in additional wetland and stream delineation, stormwater pond and drainage design and deeper geotechnical investigations to address groundwater and slope concerns, along with planned Deer Creek culvert upgrades for fish passage. All of that will influence how much mitigation is required and what right-of-way the city ultimately has to buy, according to City of Puyallup.
What's Next
With the supplemental agreement approved, staff will use the new survey data, geotechnical results and environmental studies to finish the final design, pin down right-of-way needs and keep chasing the state and grant funding needed to actually build the road. The council's vote keeps the design machine humming but does not commit Puyallup to construction yet. May 12 meeting materials and the agenda describe the authorization as a step to advance those later phases, according to the city's meeting portal (City Council agenda). Residents who rely on Shaw Road should expect the city to keep up public outreach as the design work gets closer to the finish line.
