Category All Art Classes Classical Music Concerts DANCE Etc Exhibits Families Farmers Markets Film Happenings Holiday Holiday Lectures Music (non-classical) Theater

Submit events

PHOTO BY RICK WALTER

GRAND OPENING. Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma and other local dignitaries gathered for a ribbon cutting for the ‘D’ Street overpass June 25.

‘D’ Street overpass a welcomed sight

By Rick Walter

It was your classic Malfunction Junction. It was where East ‘D’ Street and Dock Street, a major corridor for rail and truck freight and for people wanting to access the Thea Foss Waterway, would get crippled in traffic when a freight train needed to pass through, holding up the trucks and creating gridlock several times a day.

The city of Tacoma took on the task of solving the problem – a solution that included building an overpass, straightening the tracks so trains could go faster and creating a pedestrian connection between the Dome District and the Thea Foss Waterway esplanade and parks. Along with its contractor, MidMountain Contractors, Inc., the city began construction on the project two years ago.

On June 25, the ribbon was cut, celebrating the official completion of the $24.5 million project.

“At times it was tenuous and tortuous,” Mayor Bill Baarsma said. “But we got here.”

The new overpass, built over the train tracks, separates train and motor vehicle traffic and allows for the realignment of the tracks to ease the curve around the south end of the waterway.

Residents, property and business owners who experienced disruptions ranging from modest inconvenience to serious loss of revenue are particularly relieved to have traffic flowing along East ‘D’ Street again.

Johnny’s Dock is one such business that is happy to see the project’s completion, having restored the routes that customers once found most direct, but had to abandon in favor of more difficult routing and terrain.

Johnny’s, at 1900 E. ‘D’ St., which has been under the current ownership since 1985, would have gone out of business had it not been so well established, according to one of the owners, David Bingham. Some customers braved the hassle of circumnavigating the problematic junction. Others did not.

“We had these two guys who used to come in every day, then once the project started, we didn’t see them again. They would have had to drive down essentially what was a mud puddle to get here,” said Bingham.

The two customers are now back every day, and so are others.

But the total customer drop-off, all told, Bingham said, cost him between $25,000 and $30,000 a month during the two years the project lasted.

“I’m obviously happy to see it (project’s completion),” said Bingham last week. “But I won’t be at the ribbon-cutting.”

Among those who were at the ceremony, in addition to the mayor, were several representatives of state and local government, and various transportation officials, heralding the culmination of years of planning and labor it took to see this project through. They all acknowledged the distress to businesses, but stressed the benefits to the city of Tacoma.

“We will also see tremendous benefits in safety and commerce because of it,” said Port of Tacoma Commissioner Clare Petrich, who also owns a business affected by the project. “It has tripled the freight and trade moving through. Thank God it is finished!”

Story Tools