View source for Interstate 705

{{Short description|Interstate highway in Tacoma, Washington}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox road
|state=WA
|type=I
|route=705
|section=819
|alternate_name=Tacoma Spur
|spur_type=I
|spur_of=5
|map={{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=290|frame-lat=47.246|frame-long=-122.435|zoom=12|type=line|raw={{Wikipedia:Map data/Wikipedia KML/Interstate 705}}}}
|map_custom=yes
|map_notes=Interactive map of Downtown Tacoma with I-705 highlighted in red
|length_mi=1.50
|length_ref=<ref name="log">{{WSDOT State Highway Log |year=2020 |pages=1684–1685 |link=yes |accessdate=March 14, 2022}}</ref>
|length_round=2
|established=1978
|history=Completed in 1988
|direction_a=South
|terminus_a={{jct|state=WA|I|5|WA|7}} in [[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]]
|junction={{jct|state=WA|SR|509}} in Tacoma
|direction_b=North
|terminus_b=Schuster Parkway in Tacoma
|county=Pierce
|previous_type=SR
|previous_route=704
|next_type=SR
|next_route=706
}}

'''Interstate&nbsp;705''' ('''I-705'''), also known as the '''Tacoma Spur''', is a short [[Interstate Highway]] in [[Tacoma, Washington]], United States. It is a [[spur route]] of [[Interstate 5 in Washington|I-5]] that connects the freeway to [[Downtown Tacoma]], Tacoma's waterfront, [[North Tacoma, Tacoma, Washington|North Tacoma]], and the [[Tacoma Dome]]. I-705 was completed in 1988 and is one of the newest portions of the Interstate Highway System in Washington.

==Route description==

I-705 is the shortest [[List of Interstate Highways in Washington|Interstate Highway in Washington]], at {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} in length, and primarily serves as a connector between [[Interstate 5 in Washington|I-5]] and [[Downtown Tacoma]].<ref name="FHWA-log">{{cite web |date=January 26, 2022 |title=Table 3: Interstate Routes in Each of the 50 States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico |url=https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/interstate_highway_system/routefinder/table03.cfm |work=Route Log and Finder List |publisher=Federal Highway Administration |accessdate=March 14, 2022}}</ref><ref name="EconWorks">{{cite web |title=Project: I-705 Connector in Washington |url=https://planningtools.transportation.org/290/view-case-study.html?case_id=31 |work=EconWorks Case Studies |publisher=[[American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials]] |accessdate=March 14, 2022}}</ref> It begins as a continuation of [[Washington State Route 7|SR&nbsp;7]] at an interchange with I-5 south of downtown Tacoma, near the [[Tacoma Dome]] and [[America's Car Museum]].<ref name="google">{{google maps |title=Interstate 705 |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/47.2331777,-122.4324285/47.255782,-122.4368897/@47.2444522,-122.4429723,2980m/am=t/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!4m1!3e0 |accessdate=March 14, 2022}}</ref> The freeway passes under I-5, following a gulch south until it terminates at South 38th Street; SR&nbsp;7 continues beyond Tacoma on Pacific Avenue towards [[Spanaway, Washington|Spanaway]] and [[Mount Rainier National Park]].<ref name="WSDOT-Map">{{cite WSDOT map |year=2014 |inset=[https://web.archive.org/web/20201017225814/https://wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2017/08/31/highway-map-Tacoma.pdf Downtown Tacoma] |accessdate=March 14, 2022}}</ref>

The freeway travels north with an exit to South 26th Street serving the Tacoma Dome and the adjacent [[Tacoma Dome Station]] transit complex. I-705 passes over the [[T Line (Sound Transit)|T&nbsp;Line]] streetcar near [[South 25th Street station]] and continues north to a [[single-point urban interchange]] with [[Washington State Route 509|SR&nbsp;509]] at South 21st Street, which provides access to the [[University of Washington Tacoma]] campus and [[Port of Tacoma]]. Following a freight railroad, the freeway passes the [[Washington State History Museum]] and [[Union Station (Tacoma, Washington)|Union Station]] near the [[Bridge of Glass]], a pedestrian overpass that crosses I-705 and links the [[Museum of Glass]] on the [[Thea Foss Waterway]] shore to downtown Tacoma.<ref name="google"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Reif |first=Rita |date=July 21, 2002 |title=A Pyramid for New Treasures of an Age-Old Art |at=sec. 2, p. 26 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/21/arts/art-architecture-a-pyramid-for-new-treasures-of-an-age-old-art.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |accessdate=March 14, 2022}}</ref>

The northbound lanes separate near the Bridge of Glass, with one splitting into offramps serving South 15th Street and A Street, the latter of which is also served by a southbound onramp.<ref>{{cite map |date=June 22, 2007 |title=SR 705 – Junction 15th Street/A Street |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tools/InterchangeViewer/pdf/SR705/705X001.pdf |work=Interchange Viewer |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |accessdate=March 14, 2022}}</ref> I-705 then crosses under South 11th Street near the [[Murray Morgan Bridge]] and terminates at an onramp from South 9th Street adjacent to [[Fireman's Park]], which cantilevers over the southbound lanes.<ref>{{cite map |date=June 30, 2015 |title=SR 705 – Junction 9th Street/Schuster Parkway |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tools/InterchangeViewer/pdf/SR705/705X002.pdf |work=Interchange Viewer |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |accessdate=March 14, 2022}}</ref> The freeway continues northwest onto Schuster Parkway, with a separate set of flyover ramps that end at an at-grade intersection with Stadium Way near the [[Old City Hall (Tacoma, Washington)|Old City Hall]].<ref name="google"/>

As a component of the [[Interstate Highway System]], the entirety of I-705 is listed as part of the [[National Highway System (United States)|National Highway System]], a national network of roads identified as important to the national economy, defense, and mobility;<ref>{{cite web |year=2017 |title=State Highway National Highway System Routes in Washington |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/travel/hpms/pdf/washington-2017-state-highway-nhs-list.pdf |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |accessdate=March 14, 2022}}</ref> it is also part of the state government's Highway of Statewide Significance program, recognizing its connection to major communities.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 26, 2009 |title=Transportation Commission List of Highways of Statewide Significance |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2006/03/16/HSSlist2009mod2.pdf |publisher=[[Washington State Transportation Commission]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724190950/http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/50EC9EB9-DB3D-4823-B5D2-5348409FB8CE/0/HSSlist2009mod2.pdf |archive-date=July 24, 2013 |accessdate=January 8, 2011}}</ref> The freeway is maintained by the [[Washington State Department of Transportation]] (WSDOT), which conducts an annual survey of traffic volume that is expressed in terms of [[annual average daily traffic]]. Average traffic volumes on the highway in 2020 ranged from a minimum of 26,000&nbsp;vehicles  at its southern terminus to a maximum of 62,000&nbsp;vehicles between I-5 and SR&nbsp;509.<ref>{{cite map |year=2020 |title=Traffic GeoPortal |url=https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/data/tools/geoportal/?config=traffic |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |cartography=[[Maxar Technologies]] |accessdate=September 2, 2021}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:I-705 approaching WA-509.jpg|thumb|right|I-705 northbound approaching SR&nbsp;509]]

The state government's plans for a regional [[tollway]] connecting Tacoma to [[Seattle]] and [[Everett, Washington|Everett]] in the early 1950s included a bypass of [[Downtown Tacoma]] with several connecting interchanges.<ref>{{cite news |last=Myers |first=Bob |date=September 18, 1955 |title=City to have Only Six Access Points to Road |page=A4 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-city-to-have-only-six-a/150081612/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=June 25, 2024}}</ref> The plan later formed the basis of [[Interstate 5 in Washington|I-5]], which would be constructed using funds from the [[Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956]] instead of requiring a toll.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wilma |first=David |date=September 4, 2002 |title=Interstate 5 is completed from Everett to Tacoma on January 31, 1967. |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/1354 |work=[[HistoryLink]] |accessdate=June 25, 2024}}</ref> In 1957, city officials from Tacoma proposed the construction of a downtown connector that would travel north from the Pacific Avenue interchange on I-5 (where [[Washington State Route 7|SR&nbsp;7]] terminates) and improve vehicular access to the central business district. A route along A Street was selected for preliminary studies of either an elevated freeway or [[one-way couplet]].<ref name="Gibbs">{{cite news |last=Gibbs |first=Al |date=May 18, 1971 |title=Document Details History Of Tacoma Spur Freeway |page=3 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-document-details-histor/150081121/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=June 25, 2024}}</ref>

The opening of the [[Tacoma Mall]] along I-5 in 1965 caused a reduction in the number of retailers in Downtown Tacoma, which remained only accessible via local streets from the freeway.<ref>{{cite news |last=Heberlein |first=Greg |date=December 3, 1989 |title=State of the State, Part&nbsp;7: Second Chance |page=E1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The lost business, combined with worsening congestion in Downtown Tacoma, prompted downtown retailers to ask the state government for an improved connection to I-5. The state Department of Highways had advanced their study into a downtown connector as part of SR&nbsp;509 that would become an eventual freeway link.<ref name="1979FEIS">{{cite book |author=Washington State Department of Transportation |date=September 1979 |title=State Route 509 (Interstate 705) Pacific Avenue Interchange to Port of Tacoma Road Interchange Final Environmental Impact Statement |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |oclc=41692702 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ynM2AQAAMAAJ |via=[[Google Books]] |access-date=March 4, 2017}}</ref>{{rp|1–5}} In 1968, the Department of Highways adopted the routing of a freeway into Downtown Tacoma along the western side of the [[Thea Foss Waterway|City Waterway]], to be constructed over railroad [[Right-of-way (property access)|right of way]].<ref name="1979FEIS"/>{{rp|6}} The project, then part of a new freeway corridor for [[Washington State Route 509|State Route&nbsp;509]] through the [[Port of Tacoma]], was approved by the Tacoma City Council in 1971, but further planning was suspended at the time due to funding issues.<ref name="1979FEIS"/>{{rp|7}}

In 1978, the [[American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials]] (AASHTO) approved the designation of the Tacoma Spur as I-705.<ref>{{AASHTO minutes |year=1978S |page=5 |link=yes |v-link=yes |access-date=March 4, 2017}}</ref> The [[Federal Highway Administration]] had tentatively numbered the route as "Interstate 105", but the Washington State Department of Transportation had requested the use of "705" as it would not conflict with [[Washington State Route 105|SR&nbsp;105]], an existing highway.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 3, 1978 |title=It's official—Tacoma Spur known as I-705 |page=A1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81150274/its-officialtacoma-spur-known-as/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=July 9, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Bulley |first=W. A. |date=May 2, 1978 |title=Route Numbering, I-5 Tacoma Spur |page=10 |url=https://grmservices.grmims.com/vsearch/portal/public/na4/aashto/default |publisher=Washington State Department of Transportation |via=American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials |access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref> The Washington State Legislature approved the addition of I-705 into the state highway system in April 1979.<ref name="RCW">{{cite web |url=http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=47.17.819 |title=47.17.819: State Route No. 705 |year=1979 |work=Revised Code of Washington |author=Washington State Legislature |author-link = Washington State Legislature |publisher=Washington State Legislature |access-date = January 8, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Washington State Legislature |date=April 23, 1979 |title=Washington Laws, 1979 1st Extraordinary Session |chapter=Chapter 33: State Highway Routes |pages=1119–1120 |url=http://leg.wa.gov/CodeReviser/documents/sessionlaw/1979ex1c33.pdf |publisher=Washington State Legislature |access-date = March 4, 2017}}</ref>

While funding was identified in the 1970s, construction on the freeway was not completed until the next decade because of federal budget cuts.<ref name="delayed">{{cite news |last=Harper |first=Robert |date=April 16, 1980 |title=12 state road projects budget casualties |page=A1 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PVJOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Me4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2310%2C428634 |work=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |via=[[Google News Archive]] |access-date=January 8, 2011}}</ref><ref name="90 opening">{{cite news |last=Virgin |first=Bill |date=October 26, 2006 |title=At 50, interstates feeling their age |work=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] |url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/virgin/289978_virgin26.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061109045501/http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/virgin/289978_virgin26.html |archive-date=November 9, 2006 |access-date=March 4, 2017}}</ref> Construction began with a groundbreaking on July 26, 1982, for the first portion of the Tacoma Spur, a ramp connecting I-5 to the Tacoma Dome area.<ref>{{cite news |last=Syphee |first=Richard |date=July 27, 1982 |title=Finally, city breaks ground for Tacoma Spur |page=A3 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-finally-city-breaks-gr/150080417/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=June 25, 2024}}</ref> The offramp connecting southbound I-5 to East 26th Street was dedicated on April 21, 1983, a day before the Tacoma Dome opened to the public.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sypher |first=Richard |date=April 21, 1983 |title=Dome off-ramp opens in rain |page=A4 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114953605/dome-off-ramp-opens-in-rain/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=December 20, 2022}}</ref> Construction on the rest of I-705 began in 1983; it required the demolition of the Union Station concourse shortly after passenger trains were rerouted to a [[Tacoma station (1984)|new Amtrak station]] in 1984.<ref>{{cite news |last=Song |first=John |date=August 5, 1984 |title=Wrecking ball rolls in with a rush |page=B1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-wrecking-ball-rolls-in/150080670/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=June 25, 2024}}</ref>

The northbound lanes of I-705 between South 22nd and South 13th streets opened on October 27, 1986,<ref>{{cite news |last=Turner |first=Joseph |date=October 25, 1986 |title=First link of I-5 spur to open Monday |page=A10 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-first-link-of-i-5-spur/150082824/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=June 25, 2024}}</ref> and was followed in August 1987 by a connection to Schuster Parkway.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 28, 1987 |title=Another Spur section opens today |page=B2 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-another-spur-section-op/150082944/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=June 25, 2024}}</ref> The freeway was dedicated on October 17, 1988, with a parade and ribbon-cutting;<ref name="TNT-Opening88">{{cite news |last=Szymanski |first=Jim |date=October 16, 1988 |title=Spur is city's link to future |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81130973/spur-is-citys-link-to-future/ A1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81131003/spur-is-citys-link-to-future-part-2/ A12] |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/81130973/spur-is-citys-link-to-future/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=July 9, 2021}}</ref> I-705 cost $102.3&nbsp;million to construct and was the last new Interstate to be completed in the state of Washington.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bailey |first=Gil |date=October 14, 1988 |title=Tacoma is big on new little freeway |page=C2 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref><ref name="disparage tacoma">{{cite news |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19980329/2742290/in-the-6th-district-dicks-keeps-delivering |title=In the 6th District, Dicks Keeps Delivering |last=Nelson |first=Robert T. |date=March 29, 1998 |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |access-date = January 8, 2011}}</ref> The Tacoma City Council in 1992 proposed to name the freeway Martin Luther King Way, however that name was finally applied to nearby K Street.<ref name="almost mlk way">{{cite news |last=Clements |first=Barbara |date=December 9, 1992 |title=K Street to get King's name, council decides |page=B1 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86119892/k-street-to-get-kings-name-council-dec/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=September 28, 2021}}</ref> Work on the single-point urban interchange, costing $29.4&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{formatnum:{{inflation|US-GDP|29.4|1993|r=0}}}}&nbsp;million in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}), was completed in 1993 to accommodate the changes that were made to SR&nbsp;509 through Tacoma.<ref name="spui redesign">{{cite news |title=Senate Bill Provides Millions for Roads |last=Higgins |first=Mark |date=March 2, 1993 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer |page=B1}}</ref>

==Exit list==
{{WAinttop|county=Pierce|location=Tacoma|length_ref=<ref name="log" />|unnum=yes}}
{{WAint
|mile=0.00
|road={{jct|state=WA|I|5|SR|7|dir2=south|city1=Seattle|location2=[[Portland, Oregon|Portland]]|location3=[[Mount Rainier]]}}
|notes=Southern terminus; roadway continues as SR&nbsp;7
}}
{{WAint
|type=incomplete
|mile=0.08
|road=East 26th Street&nbsp;– [[Tacoma Dome]]
|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance
}}
{{WAint
|mile=0.72
|road={{jct|state=WA|SR|509|dir1=north|road|South 21st Street|city1=Port of Tacoma}}
|notes=
}}
{{WAint
|type=incomplete
|mile=1.15
|road=A Street&nbsp;– [[Tacoma City Center, Washington|Tacoma City Center]]
|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance; exit includes direct ramp to South 15th Street
}}
{{WAint
|type=incomplete
|mile=1.43
|road=South 9th Street
|notes=Southbound entrance only
}}
{{WAint
|type=incomplete
|mile=1.50
|mspan=2
|road={{jct|state=WA|extra=hospital}} Stadium Way / Commerce Street
|notes=Northbound exit and southbound entrance
}}
{{WAint
|mile=none
|road=Schuster Parkway
|notes=Northern terminus
}}
{{jctbtm|col=4|keys=incomplete}}

==See also==
*{{Portal-inline|U.S. Roads}}
*{{Portal-inline|United States}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Attached KML|display=inline,title}}
* [https://www.angelfire.com/wa2/hwysofwastate/i705.html Highways of Washington State]
* [https://www.aaroads.com/interstate-guide/i-705-wa/ Interstate Guide.com]

{{3di|5}}

[[Category:Auxiliary Interstate Highways|05-7]]
[[Category:Interstate Highways in Washington (state)|05-7]]
[[Category:Interstate 5|7 Washington]]
[[Category:Transportation in Tacoma, Washington|Interstate 05-7]]
[[Category:Transportation in Pierce County, Washington]]