The City of Ridgefield will take ownership of state Route 501, also known as Pioneer Street, from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), according to an announcement last week.
This change will have no immediate effect on residents or drivers. The city does anticipate traffic impacts with the planned widening of Pioneer between 56th Avenue and Royle Road this year, however.
The most immediate impact of this transfer will be providing more local control for the design and construction of the planned Interstate 5 to Royle Road transportation improvements, a news release by the city stated.
City Public Works staff will coordinate with WSDOT to ensure a smooth transfer that accounts for all safety and maintenance considerations.
This transfer of ownership will allow the City of Ridgefield to transition Pioneer Street into a “multi-modal city arterial main street” rather than maintain it as a state highway, according to a release.
This route jurisdiction transfer was approved and signed into law during the Washington state Legislature 2024 session on March 13.
In January 2023, city staff inquired into the transfer of jurisdiction of Pioneer Street.
To learn more about traffic impacts in Ridgefield, visit ridgefieldwa.us/220/Road-Con struction-Traffic-Impacts, or sign up for traffic emails at shorturl.at/djpOU.
