SR 516 serves as the primary east-west roadway through Covington, providing connections to the nearby communities of Kent and Maple Valley, and serves as the city’s primary commercial corridor. Along the study corridor there is a full access interchange to SR 18, which provides regional access to and from Covington.
In the vicinity of the SR 18 interchange, adjacent commercial, retail, and residential destinations draw significant travel demand, and a series of closely spaced intersections impact corridor operations and multimodal safety and limits access to adjoining land uses.
The city of Covington’s Comprehensive Plan projects that if operational improvements aren't made, most major intersections through the study area will experience steadily decreasing levels of service by 2035.
This study will analyze the following key intersections for deficiencies and develop strategies in an effort to provide strategies that will improve operations, safety performance and accessibility for all corridor users.
SR 516 at Covington Way
This intersection sits in central Covington and is the western limits of the SR 516 – Covington Targeted Study.
164th Avenue Southeast and the SR 18/SR 516 interchange (WB ramps)
The following image shows SR 516 at the intersection of 164th Avenue Southeast and the SR 18 interchange westbound on- and off-ramps to SR 516 in Covington.
SR 516/SR 18 interchange – SR 18 eastbound on- and off-ramps
The image below shows the SR 18 on- and off-ramps in central Covington.
168th Place Southeast
The image below shows 167th Place and 168th Place Southeast in central Covington. The entrance to the Fred Meyer and Costco shopping complex is in lower segment of this intersection.
This study is in concert with a city of Covington proposed improvements to a longer stretch of SR 516 through the city.
This study is funding through State Planning funds in the 2023-2025 budget cycle. The total budget for this study is $78,000.
The funding available is only for this preliminary planning study. There is no funding for any further design or project implementation and any recommending improvement concepts will need to seek funding for implementation.
The study will develop strategies to improve operations, safety performance and accessibility for all corridor users.
