Major Stone Drive Closure Begins Next Week

GIG HARBOR, WA - Memorial Day traffic will be bad enough, but Gig Harbor drivers will return after the holiday weekend to a traffic headache at home.

As part of a roundabout construction project, Pierce County construction crews will close a stretch of Stone Drive Northwest beginning May 29 for 30 days - but the closure could last longer if construction gets delayed.

Here's more on the closure from Pierce County:

Approximately 900 feet of Stone Drive Northwest will be closed from where it intersects with Point Fosdick Drive Northwest. The closure could extend beyond 30 days due to weather impacts or schedule changes.

During the closure, crews will excavate the road and build a new roadway surface that is up to 8 feet lower than the current road.

A detour route of approximately 3.4 miles will take motorists from Stone Drive Northwest to Jahn Avenue Northwest to 32nd Street Northwest to 22nd Avenue Northwest to 36th Street Northwest to Point Fosdick Drive Northwest. A map of the detour route is available at www.piercecountywa.gov/crp5581.

Following the Stone Drive Northwest closure, traffic will be shifted onto the temporary bypass road while crews regrade and build the legs of the intersection on Point Fosdick Drive Northwest and 34th Avenue Northwest. Crews will also build the roundabout’s island and the other project features. This work is expected to be complete by early December.

Motorists should expect each leg of the intersection to be reduced to one lane with alternating traffic in the project area between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays throughout this work. Flaggers will be onsite to direct traffic during these hours.

During the week of May 21, crews will work from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday. They will not work on Friday, May 25.