Washington State Route 181

State Route 181 (SR 181, named the Valley Highway) is a 6.05-mile-long (9.74 km) 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.

State Route 181
Valley Highway
SR 181 is highlighted in red.
Route information
Defined by RCW 47.17.370
Maintained by WSDOT
Length6.05 mi[1] (9.74 km)
Existed1964[2]–present
Major junctions
South end SR 516 in Kent
North end I-405 in Tukwila
Location
CountiesKing
Highway system
← SR 174I-182 →

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 1969 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.[3] 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.[4] SR 181 begins to parallel a BNSF and Union Pacific rail line to the east as it serves Tukwila Station.[5][6][7] The highway ends at a partial cloverleaf interchange with I-405, crossing over the Green River shortly before its northern terminus.[8][9]

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.[10]

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.[2][11] The 11.58-mile-long (18.64 km) route was originally signed in 1937 as SSH 5M from PSH 5 in Auburn to U.S. Route 99 (US 99) and PSH 1,[12][13] and in 1931 as a branch of PSH 1 from SSH 5M to PSH 2.[14][15] 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.[16] SSH 2M and the PSH 1 branch were combined into SR 181 in 1964,[11][17] and was truncated to newly created SR 599 in 1971.[2][18] The northern terminus was moved to its current location, an interchange with I-405 in 1979,[19] and the southern terminus was moved to Kent in 1991.[2][20] 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.[2][21]

Major intersections

The entire highway is in King County.

Locationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Kent0.000.00 SR 516 – Des MoinesSouthern terminus
Tukwila5.97–
6.05		9.61–
9.74		 I-405 to I-5 – Bellevue, Renton, EverettI-405 exit 1; northern terminus; interchange.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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gollark: Makes sense, then.

References
  1. Staff (2012), State Highway Log: Planning Report 2011, SR 2 to SR 971 (PDF), Washington State Department of Transportation, pp. 1178–1182, retrieved January 22, 2013
  2. "47.17.370: State route No. 181", Revised Code of Washington, Washington State Legislature, 1970; revised 1971, 1979, 1991, retrieved January 22, 2013 Check date values in: |year= (help)
  3. SR 167: Junction SR 516/Willis Street (PDF), Washington State Department of Transportation, August 3, 2011, retrieved January 24, 2013
  4. Bicycling in King County (PDF) (Map). King County. 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  5. 2011 Washington State Rail System (PDF) (Map). Washington State Department of Transportation. January 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  6. Passenger Rail System - Washington State (PDF) (Map). Washington State Department of Transportation. January 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  7. Tukwila, WA (TUK), Amtrak, retrieved January 24, 2013
  8. SR 405 - Exit 1: Junction SR 181/Interurban Avenue (PDF), Washington State Department of Transportation, May 2, 2012, retrieved January 24, 2013
  9. Google (January 22, 2013). "State Route 181" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  10. "Urge Adoption of West Road in Valley". The Seattle Times. March 4, 1909. p. 8.
  11. Prahl, C. G. (December 1, 1965), Identification of State Highways (PDF), Washington State Highway Commission, Department of Highways, retrieved January 24, 2013
  12. Annual Traffic Report, 1970 (PDF), Washington State Highway Commission, Department of Highways, 1970, p. 151, retrieved January 24, 2013
  13. Washington State Legislature (March 18, 1937), "Chapter 207: Classification of Public Highways", Session Laws of the State of Washington, Session Laws of the State of Washington (1937 ed.), Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature, p. 1004, retrieved January 25, 2013, (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.
  14. Washington State Legislature (1931), "Chapter 38", Session Laws of the State of Washington, Session Laws of the State of Washington (1931 ed.), Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature
  15. Seattle, 1958 (JPG) (Map). 1:250,000. United States Geological Survey. 1958. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  16. Washington State Legislature (1959), "Chapter 319", Session Laws of the State of Washington, Session Laws of the State of Washington (1959 ed.), Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature
  17. Seattle, 1965 (JPG) (Map). 1:250,000. United States Geological Survey. 1965. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  18. Washington State Legislature (1971), "Extended Session 73", Session Laws of the State of Washington, Session Laws of the State of Washington (1971 ed.), Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature
  19. Washington State Legislature (1979), "Extended Session 192", Session Laws of the State of Washington, Session Laws of the State of Washington (1979 ed.), Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature
  20. Washington State Legislature (May 21, 1991), "Chapter 342", Session Laws of the State of Washington, Session Laws of the State of Washington (1991 ed.), Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature, 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.
  21. Washington State Highways, 2011–2012 (PDF) (Map). 1:842,000. Washington State Department of Transportation. 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2013.

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