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26-659: It is open for non-motorized use and parallels State Route 169 for much of its length. It connects Renton to Maple Valley . In Maple Valley it connects to the Cedar to Green River Trail at mile 12.3. Beyond Maple Valley the surface is crushed gravel, and the trail ends in Landsburg near a small dam and the boundary of the Cedar River Watershed. A bridge on the trail parallel to State Route 169 in Maple Valley recently underwent

52-488: A partial cloverleaf interchange with I-405 . The highway continues under the freeway to an intersection with SR 900 at Bronson Way and Sunset Boulevard, where SR 169 terminates. The entire route of SR 169, also known as the Maple Valley Highway, was designated by the state government as a Highway of Statewide Significance in 2006, recognizing its role in connecting major communities. The highway

78-506: A renovation, and is now re-opened to foot, bike, and equestrian traffic. 47°28′49″N 122°11′57″W  /  47.480257°N 122.19908°W  / 47.480257; -122.19908 This King County, Washington state location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This United States trail or long-distance path–related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Washington State Route 169 State Route 169 ( SR 169 )

104-608: A section of Porter Street in downtown Enumclaw at an intersection with SR 164 (Griffin Avenue). The intersection is adjacent to a satellite campus of the Green River College system and is a half-mile (0.8 km) from the junction of SR 164 and SR 410 , which travels west towards Puyallup and east across the Cascade Mountains . SR 169 travels north through Enumclaw's residential neighborhoods and leaves

130-551: Is a state highway in the U.S. state of Washington , located entirely within King County . It runs 25 miles (40 km) from Enumclaw to Renton , passing through Black Diamond and Maple Valley . The highway, also known as the Maple Valley Highway, functions as a major rural and suburban route for the southeastern Seattle metropolitan area and connects several highways, including SR 410 , SR 18 , and Interstate 405 (I-405). The Enumclaw–Maple Valley–Renton highway

156-668: Is maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which conducts an annual survey on the state's highways to measure traffic volume in terms of annual average daily traffic . In 2016, WSDOT calculated that the busiest section of the highway, near I-405 in Renton, carried an average of 43,000 vehicles per day. The least traveled section of SR 169, located at its southern terminus in Enumclaw, carried only 7,700 vehicles. The Enumclaw and Black Diamond highway

182-630: The Cedar River and the Cedar River Trail . SR 169 continues along the west bank of the Cedar River, running north at the floor of the rural Cedar River Valley southwest of Squak Mountain . The highway turns west near Maple Valley Heights and passes several recreational areas. The road widens to four lanes and enters Renton after crossing over the Cedar River. SR 169 briefly swings southwest before continuing northwest on its way towards

208-472: The 1990s, residential development in Maple Valley has led to traffic congestion and an increase in collisions on sections of SR 169. Despite calls for highway expansion, the state government has prioritized other corridors instead of SR 169, with no plans for future construction. The city government independently funded $ 47 million in interim corridor improvements, including the addition of auxiliary lanes, sidewalks, and bicycle lanes. A 2016 study of

234-631: The Maple Valley area to serve secondary students was the Maple Valley Grade School, which opened in 1920 and housed grades one through twelve. In 1926, the Taylor, Hobart, and Maple Valley school districts merged to create a cooperative high school district and purchased a parcel of property for the construction of a dedicated local secondary school. This school, known as TaHoMa High School, opened in 1927 and held both junior and senior high students of

260-624: The Tahoma Senior High School building commenced. Following voter approval of a $ 10 million, four-year Instructional Technology Levy in 2006, the Tahoma School District outfitted the campus with wireless internet service, Activboard digital whiteboards, and upgraded computer labs. The building faced struggles with overcrowding throughout the 21st century as Maple Valley experienced rapid growth. The district installed 17 portable classrooms, many of which were purchased for $ 1 from

286-723: The Washington state championship every year since 2013, subsequently attending competitions in Washington, D.C. , and placing in the top 10 teams nationwide in 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2022. Tahoma also houses the FIRST Robotics Competition team, Bear Metal, who has been historically successful since its founding in 2007. THS has been a part of the Cascade Division of the North Puget Sound League since

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312-433: The area for many years. After several remodels, this first TaHoMa High School building became Tahoma Middle School. A new building opened in 1974 as an open concept high school, while the previous building remained as the district's junior high. The open concept design proved unsatisfactory to the faculty at the time, and temporary walls were constructed early in the school building's life. In 1999, an intensive remodel of

338-578: The city after crossing Newaukam Creek. The highway continues north across the rural Enumclaw Plateau and past several gravel mines before beginning its ascent into the hills of Black Diamond . The highway crosses 155 feet (47 m) over the Green River gorge on the Kummer Bridge (officially the Dan Evans Bridge) downriver of Franklin , a ghost town . SR 169 continues northwest through

364-476: The city of Black Diamond, surrounded by several coal mines , and passes a trailhead for the Black Diamond Natural Area near Lake Sawyer. It turns north at the southern boundary of Maple Valley , near a crossing of a railroad, and travels through several suburban subdivisions near Tahoma High School . The highway widens to five lanes in the city's Four Corners commercial center, where it intersects

390-433: The corridor's safety by WSDOT concluded that the outdated design of the roadway had reached its capacity and was in need of immediate improvement to handle expected traffic volumes. An earlier WSDOT study recommended $ 300 million in projects to widen SR 169 to four or six lanes between Black Diamond and Renton. The Kummer Bridge was closed between November 2008 and June 2009 for an emergency reconstruction project after

416-413: The current one being a three-story structure in Maple Valley built in 2017. Tahoma High School is a suburban campus located near the intersection of two major state routes, Maple Valley Highway (SR 169) and Kent-Kangley Road (SR 516) . It is close to Maple Valley Town Square, colloquially known as Four Corners, a major retail area of Maple Valley located at the intersection. Tahoma High School serves

442-529: The discovery of major ground movement. The $ 10 million project was funded by the federal government and included a new retaining wall. The entire route is in King County . Tahoma Senior High School Tahoma High School (THS) is a public high school serving grades nine through twelve, and is the only high school in the Tahoma School District . The school provides for citizens in southeast King County , and has been housed in multiple buildings,

468-531: The district's school board-approved curriculum. A Running Start program is available through the nearby Green River College campus in Auburn . Tahoma High School's Outdoor Academy program, which integrates Health and Fitness, Science, and Language Arts, has received recognition statewide for its work in changing the concept of Physical Education. Tahoma also participates in the annual We The People civics competition, led by teacher Gretchen Wulfing. The team has won

494-464: The eastern end of SR 516 , which travels west to Covington and Kent . SR 169 continues northwest through suburban neighborhoods surrounding Lake Wilderness and reaches the city's northern commercial district, where it runs parallel to SR 18 , a major regional freeway. The two highways are connected by a local road, Southeast 231st Street, but do not directly intersect. SR 169 crosses under SR 18 and continues northwest along

520-430: The entirety of Maple Valley and Hobart , portions of Renton , Covington , Ravensdale , and Black Diamond , and a significant area of unincorporated King County. The school is bordered by Enumclaw Senior High School to the south, Mt. Si High School to the east, Liberty High School to the north, Hazen High School to the northwest, and Kentlake High School to the west. The first large public school building in

546-497: The neighboring Kent School District . These dilapidated rooms helped to drive voters to approve a $ 195 million bond in 2015 to build a new high school for the community. Ground was broken in June 2015, it was completed in July 2017, and it opened for the 2017–2018 school year. The previous Senior High building was converted to Maple View Middle School, while the first district high school building

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572-562: Was also constructed using separate funds. It follows the general route of the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad , a branch of the transcontinental Northern Pacific Railway that was constructed in the 1880s to connect the area's coal mines to Seattle . Most of the highway was reconstructed and paved in the early 1930s. The bridge over the Green River was rebuilt in 1933 with a steel truss and concrete road deck. The Enumclaw–Renton highway

598-461: Was built in 1914 and expanded in the early 1930s by the county government. It was absorbed into the state highway system in 1937 and designated as a branch of Primary State Highway 5 and renumbered to SR 169 in 1964. Recent residential development in Maple Valley and surrounding areas has increased traffic congestion on the highway, leading to a series of widening and improvement projects funded primarily by city governments. SR 169 begins on

624-408: Was constructed in 1914 by the county government, using funds allocated by the state legislature. The highway replaced an earlier road with steeper grades of up to 20 percent, reducing them to a maximum of 5 percent. A steel bridge was constructed across the Green River gorge near Franklin , at a cost of $ 30,000 (equivalent to $ 674,000 in 2023 dollars). An extension through Maple Valley to Renton

650-559: Was converted to Tahoma Elementary School. The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction reported the school's graduation rate as 91.3% for the 2016–17 school year, while the statewide graduation rate was reported as 75.0%. The school offers a variety of tech prep, honors, Advanced Placement , and "College in the High School" courses from the University of Washington and Central Washington University , in addition to

676-473: Was designated as a branch of Primary State Highway 5 in 1937. During the 1964 state highway renumbering , it was re-designated as SR 169. In the late 1980s, WSDOT straightened and widened a section of SR 169 after completing a land swap deal with the Burlington Northern Railroad , contingent on a new track built in exchange for the abandonment of a section along the highway. Since

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