State Route 6, 7 and 8 in Washington

Washington State Route 8

State Route 6 in Washington

SR-6
Get started Raymond
End Chehalis
Length 51 mi
Length 83 km
Route
RaymondChehalis

State Route 6 or SR-6 is a state route in the U.S. state of Washington. The road forms an east-west route between Raymond and Chehalis in the southwest of the state and is 83 kilometers long.

Travel directions

State Route 6 begins with a roundabout on US 101 in the town of Raymond. The road then begins its route east through the valley of the small Willapa River. The surrounding landscape consists of wooded hills, mostly up to 500 meters high, but a little further from the road up to 900 meters. There are only a few hamlets on the route between the start and end point. Halfway through, the State Route 6 runs over a low mountain pass of approximately 220 meters. The road then leads through the Chehalis River valley. State Route 6 ends at a junction with Interstate 5 at the town of Chehalis.

  • ANSWERMBA: Provides information about Washington Early history.

History

The road became a State Route in 1913, numbered State Route 19, which was renumbered to State Route 12 in 1923. With the renumbering of 1964, the road was given its current number State Route 6. The road has never been of great importance. and has not been upgraded anywhere. The road is a single carriageway through quiet rural area. The Raymond and Chehalis endpoints are also the only places worth mentioning on the route. It is the shortest route from I-5 to Willapa Bay, a nature reserve.

Traffic intensities

The road is often lightly used with approximately 2,000 vehicles per day, only at Chehalis the road is somewhat busier with approximately 8,000 vehicles per day.

State Route 7 in Washington

SR-7
Get started Morton
End tacoma
Length 59 mi
Length 94 km
Route
MortonElbe

Eatonville

spanaway

Parkland

tacoma

State Route 7 or SR-7 is a state route in the U.S. state of Washington. The road forms a north-south route in the west of the state, from Morton to Tacoma. State Route 7 is 94 kilometers long.

Travel directions

State Route 7 as you approach Tacoma.

State Route 7 begins at the town of Morton on US 12 and then heads north through a densely forested and mountainous region. The mountains nearby are 1,000 to 1,400 meters high, but not far to the northeast, 4,392 meters high Mount Rainier towers over the landscape. The road crosses the Nisqually River and continues for a while along Alder Lake, a reservoir. Then one enters a gradually more built-up area, this is the exurban area of ​​the Seattle region. The landscape here also becomes much flatter and the buildings become increasingly dense, after which the road eventually becomes an urban arterialthrough the suburbs of Tacoma. Much of the route in southern Tacoma is a commercial zone. However, State Route 7 remains a fairly unassuming 5-lane center turn lane. State Route 7 ends at the southern end of Interstate 705.

History

A road between Spanaway and Tacoma already existed around 1900, this would develop into a city road during the 20th century. In 1909 the road from Morton to Alder became part of the Washington state highway network and was numbered State Route 18. Then, in 1913, the National Park Highway was introduced, running from Tacoma south to Elbe, then east to the flanks of Mount Rainier. In 1923, this became part of State Route 5. With the major renumbering of 1964, it became State Route 7.

State Route 7 has not been significantly upgraded, it is mostly a simple single lane road, which in Tacoma and the suburbs has been widened to 5 lanes with a center turn lane due to the many shops along the way. Interstate 705 was previously planned to be constructed further south from Tacoma, parallel to State Route 7. However, these plans have been abandoned, I-705 terminates shortly south of I-5 on the secondary road network and this is also the terminus of became State Route 7.

Traffic intensities

Usually 2,000 vehicles drive daily on the southern part between Morton and the Nisqually River valley. The northern part has a more urban character and is much busier, with 28,000 vehicles per day in Spanaway and 20,000 to 25,000 vehicles as far as Tacoma.

Washington State Route 8

SR-8
Get started Elma
End Olympia
Length 21 mi
Length 33 km
Route
ElmaMcCleary

Olympia

State Route 8 or SR-8 is a state route in the U.S. state of Washington. The road forms an east-west route between Elma and Olympia and is a 2×2 divided highway. State Route 8 is 33 kilometers long.

Travel directions

State Route 8 connects US 12 at Elma and US 101 west of the capital Olympia. The entire route is a 2×2 divided highway with some grade separated intersections. The road leads through wooded hill country and is part of a four-lane corridor between Aberdeen and Olympia.

History

State Route 8 has historically been one of Washington’s major state routes, connecting the Pacific Coast and the Puget Sound region, cutting the detour around the Olympic Peninsula. From 1923, the road was numbered as State Route 9, which became State Route 8 in 1964 with the major renumbering.

However, between 1926 and 1967, the road was also part of US 410, which formed an east-west route between Aberdeen and Lewiston in Idaho. This went through Olympia and Tacoma. US 410 was discontinued with the introduction of US 12 in 1967, which also started in Aberdeen but does not run via Olympia, but goes south via Chehalis. However, State Route 8 continued to play an important role for through traffic between the Pacific coast and the Puget Sound region and has therefore been widened in its entirety to a 2×2 divided highway. It is unclear when this 2×2 road was built, but in any case before 1990.

Traffic intensities

Approximately 18,000 vehicles use State Route 8 every day.

Washington State Route 8