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38-449: 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 the entirety of Maple Valley and Hobart , portions of Renton , Covington , Ravensdale , and Black Diamond , and

76-528: 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 was converted to Tahoma Elementary School. The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction reported

114-550: 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 a section of Porter Street in downtown Enumclaw at an intersection with SR 164 (Griffin Avenue). The intersection

152-616: A gap in the middle, and State Routes 35 , 168 , 230 , 276 , and most of SR 171 , 213 , and 704 , have not been constructed. Notable sections of state highways include the six crossings of the Cascade Range - the Columbia River Gorge ( SR 14 ), White Pass ( US 12 ), Chinook Pass ( SR 410 ), Snoqualmie Pass ( I-90 ), Stevens Pass ( US 2 ), and the North Cascades Highway ( SR 20 ). Of

190-653: A grid, with even-numbered routes running east–west and odd-numbered routes running north–south. Even two-digit routes increase from south to north in three "strips", with SR 4 , SR 6 , and SR 8 in the western part of the state, SR 14 , SR 16 , SR 18 , and SR 20 along the Interstate 5 corridor, and SR 22 , SR 24 , SR 26 , SR 28 , and former SR 30 in the east. Odd numbers similarly increase from west to east, with SR 3 , Interstate 5 , SR 7 , SR 9 , SR 11 , SR 17 , SR 21 , SR 23 , SR 25 , SR 27 , and SR 31 following this general progression. ( SR 19

228-650: A portion of Chuckanut Drive and a road around the west side of the Olympic Peninsula . Under a 1909 law, the State Highway Board surveyed a connected network of proposed state roads, The legislature added most of these routes to the state highway system in 1913, when they formed a two-tiered system of primary and secondary roads. Primary roads were completely controlled by the state, including maintenance, and received only names, while secondary roads kept their numbers and county maintenance. Unlike

266-543: 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 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,

304-620: 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 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

342-458: 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

380-634: The Washington State Legislature created the State Highway Board in 1905 and appropriated funds to construct - but not maintain - twelve numbered "state roads" in sparsely settled areas of the state. (Main highways in more populated areas would continue to be entirely under county control, though sometimes built with 50% state aid .) Six of these highways were east–west crossings of the Cascades; others included

418-678: The 13 public road crossings of the Canada–US border in Washington, nine are on state highways. Major bridges include the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and three floating bridges : the Evergreen Point Bridge , Hood Canal Bridge , and Lake Washington Bridge . The Washington State Ferries , except the route to Sidney, British Columbia , were legally included in the state highway system in 1994; a new State Route 339

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456-532: 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

494-704: The 2016–17 school year. They were previously members of the South Puget Sound League. Tahoma students participate in the following sports and athletic activities: Tahoma Orienteering Club, the school's orienteering team, has also seen national success. Washington State Route 169 State Route 169 ( SR 169 ) 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

532-483: 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 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

570-566: The RCW are "state route number 20 north" (signed as State Route 20 Spur ) and "state route number 97-alternate" (signed as U.S. Route 97 Alternate ). Some other spurs, such as State Route 503 Spur , are defined as part of the main routes, as is U.S. Route 101 Alternate . WSDOT has also defined some spurs that mainly serve to provide full access between intersecting routes. Although most state highways as defined by law are open to traffic, State Route 109 dead-ends at Taholah , State Route 501 has

608-549: 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 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

646-703: 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

684-409: 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 the neighboring Kent School District . These dilapidated rooms helped to drive voters to approve

722-594: 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 the Cedar River and the Cedar River Trail . SR 169 continues along the west bank of the Cedar River, running north at

760-433: 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

798-496: 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 was also constructed using separate funds. It follows

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836-511: 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 . State highways in Washington The State Highways of Washington in the U.S. state of Washington comprise a network of over 7,000 miles (11,270 km) of state highways , including all Interstate and U.S. Highways that pass through

874-597: The earlier state roads, these primary roads mostly followed existing passable county roads. A 1923 restructuring of the system reassigned numbers to almost all the primary state highways, which were soon marked on signs. In 1937, the old primary/secondary split was abolished, and a new system of primary and secondary state highways was created, all to be maintained by the state in the same manner. The old state roads all kept their numbers as new primary state highways, and secondary state highways were created as alphanumeric branches of those primary highways (for instance SSH 8D

912-411: 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 a partial cloverleaf interchange with I-405 . The highway continues under

950-541: 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 is maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which conducts an annual survey on

988-458: 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

1026-671: 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 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

1064-408: The local governments are responsible for certain aspects of the streets maintained as parts of a state highway, including their grade and the portion not used for highway purposes. All routes, even Interstate and U.S. Highways, are defined as "state route number" plus the number; for instance, Interstate 5 is "state route number 5" and U.S. Route 395 is "state route number 395". Also included in

1102-575: 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 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

1140-521: 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 the district's school board-approved curriculum. A Running Start program

1178-434: 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 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

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1216-654: The state is named after). All state highways are designated by the Washington State Legislature and codified in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), namely Chapter 47.17 RCW. These routes are defined generally by termini and points along the route; WSDOT may otherwise choose the details, and may bypass the designated points as long as the road serves the general vicinity. WSDOT's duties include "locating, designing, constructing, improving, repairing, operating, and maintaining" these state highways, including bridges and other related structures. Within cities and towns,

1254-522: 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 was constructed in 1914 by

1292-399: The state, maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). The system spans 8.5% of the state's public road mileage, but carries over half of the traffic. All other public roads in the state are either inside incorporated places (cities or towns) or are maintained by the county . The state highway symbol is a white silhouette of George Washington 's head (whom

1330-483: Was a branch of PSH 8 ). The final renumbering was authorized by law in 1963 and posted in January 1964, when new "sign route" numbers were assigned that matched the inter-state systems and otherwise formed the present grid. Until 1970, these numbers coexisted with the older primary and secondary state highways, when the legislature adopted the sign route numbers as "state routes", finally eliminating all vestiges of

1368-520: Was added in 1991, and lies west of SR 3; SR 35 and SR 41 are extensions of highways in adjacent states.) Three-digit routes (and SR 92 and SR 96 ) are usually numbered by taking the first one or two digits of a route it connects to and adding another digit or two. In some cases, instead of using the two-digit route's actual number, a number that would fit the grid is used instead. Three-digit routes have been numbered as follows: After passing several early laws designating state roads starting in 1893,

1406-583: Was created at that time for the passenger-only Seattle-Vashon Ferry . According to the Washington State Department of Licensing , ocean beaches are legally state highways with a general speed limit of 25 mph (40 km/h), many only open to vehicles between the day after Labor Day and April 14, but state law places the beaches under the control of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and only designates them as " public highways ". Most state routes are numbered in

1444-485: 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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