Washington State Route 181 Explained

State:WA
Type:SR
Route:181
Alternate Name:Valley Highway
Section:370
Map:Washington State Route 181.svg
Map Notes:SR 181 is highlighted in red.
Length Mi:6.05
Length Round:2
Established:1964[1]
Direction A:South
Terminus A: in Kent
Direction B:North
Terminus B: in Tukwila
County:King
Previous Type:SR
Previous Route:174
Next Type:I
Next Route:182

State Route 181 (SR 181, named the Valley Highway) is a 6.05adj=midNaNadj=mid state highway serving King County in the U.S. state of Washington. The highway, travelling north parallel to the Green River, begins at SR 516 in Kent and ends at an interchange with Interstate 405 (I-405) in Tukwila. The highway primarily serves as an alternate route to the SR 167 freeway, which travels east parallel to SR 181.

The original route, between Auburn and Rainier Valley in Seattle, was originally established in 1931 as a branch of Primary State Highway 1 (PSH 1) and in 1937 as Secondary State Highway 5M (SSH 5M). SSH 5M was renumbered to SSH 2M in 1959 and became SR 181 after the 1964 highway renumbering. SR 181 was shortened twice in the 1970s from Seattle to Tukwila and once more in 1991 from Auburn to Kent to form its present route, no longer connected to parent route SR 18.

Route description

SR 181 begins as the Valley Highway at an intersection with SR 516 west of Downtown Kent and an interchange between SR 516 and SR 167.[2] The highway travels north and parallels the Green River and a pedestrian and bicycle trail to the west and the Interurban Trail to the east into Tukwila.[3] SR 181 begins to parallel a BNSF and Union Pacific rail line to the east as it serves Tukwila Station.[4] [5] [6] The highway ends at a partial cloverleaf interchange with I-405, crossing over the Green River shortly before its northern terminus.[7]

History

The West Valley Highway was built in the early 1910s, after an alignment on the west side of the White (now Green) River Valley was chosen by county engineers in 1909.[8]

SR 181 was formed during the 1964 state highway renumbering as a highway following the Green and Duwamish rivers from SR 18 in Auburn through Kent and Tukwila to SR 900 in Seattle.[1] [9] The 11.58adj=midNaNadj=mid route was originally signed in 1937 as SSH 5M from PSH 5 in Auburn to U.S. Route 99 (US 99) and PSH 1,[10] [11] and in 1931 as a branch of PSH 1 from SSH 5M to PSH 2.[12] [13] SSH 5M was renumbered to SSH 2M in 1959 and the southern terminus of the highway was moved to a new branch of PSH 2.[14] SSH 2M and the PSH 1 branch were combined into SR 181 in 1964,[9] [15] and was truncated to newly created SR 599 in 1971.[1] [16] The northern terminus was moved to its current location, an interchange with I-405 in 1979,[17] and the southern terminus was moved to Kent in 1991.[1] [18] No major revisions to the route of the highway have occurred since 1991 and the highway is no longer connected to parent route SR 18.[1] [19]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 47.17.370: State route No. 181 . 1970 . 1991 . . . January 22, 2013.
  2. Web site: August 3, 2011 . SR 167: Junction SR 516/Willis Street . Washington State Department of Transportation . January 24, 2013.
  3. . 2010 . Bicycling in King County . PDF . January 24, 2013.
  4. Washington State Department of Transportation . 2011 Washington State Rail System . January 2012 . PDF . January 24, 2013.
  5. Washington State Department of Transportation . Passenger Rail System - Washington State . January 2012 . PDF . January 24, 2013.
  6. Web site: Tukwila, WA (TUK) . . January 24, 2013.
  7. Web site: May 2, 2012 . SR 405 - Exit 1: Junction SR 181/Interurban Avenue . Washington State Department of Transportation . January 24, 2013.
  8. News: March 4, 1909 . Urge Adoption of West Road in Valley . 8 . The Seattle Times.
  9. Web site: Prahl . C. G. . Identification of State Highways . . December 1, 1965 . January 24, 2013.
  10. Web site: 1970 . Annual Traffic Report, 1970 . Washington State Highway Commission, Department of Highways . 151 . January 24, 2013.
  11. Book: Washington State Legislature . Session Laws of the State of Washington . 1937 . March 18, 1937 . January 25, 2013 . Washington State Legislature . . Chapter 207: Classification of Public Highways . 1004 . (l) Secondary State Highway No. 5M; beginning at a junction with Primary State Highway No. 5 in the vicinity west of Auburn, thence in a northerly direction by the most feasible route to a junction with Primary State Highway No. 1 south of Seattle..
  12. Book: Washington State Legislature . Session Laws of the State of Washington . 1931 . 1931 . Washington State Legislature . Olympia, Washington . Chapter 38.
  13. United States Geological Survey . Seattle, 1958 . 1958 . 1:250,000 . JPG . January 25, 2013.
  14. Book: Washington State Legislature . Session Laws of the State of Washington . 1959 . 1959 . Washington State Legislature . Olympia, Washington . Chapter 319.
  15. United States Geological Survey . Seattle, 1965 . 1965 . 1:250,000 . JPG . January 25, 2013.
  16. Book: Washington State Legislature . Session Laws of the State of Washington . 1971 . 1971 . Washington State Legislature . Olympia, Washington . Extended Session 73.
  17. Book: Washington State Legislature . Session Laws of the State of Washington . 1979 . 1979 . Washington State Legislature . Olympia, Washington . Extended Session 192.
  18. Book: Washington State Legislature . Session Laws of the State of Washington . 1991 . May 21, 1991 . Washington State Legislature . Olympia, Washington . Chapter 342 . A state highway to be known as state route number 181 is established as follows: Beginning at a junction with state route number ((18)) 516 in the vicinity ((west of Auburn)) of Kent, thence northerly to a junction with state route number 405 in the vicinity of Tukwila..
  19. Washington State Department of Transportation . Washington State Highways, 2011–2012 . 2011 . 1:842,000 . January 25, 2013.

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