Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Washington State Route 704
State Route 704 (known as SR 704 or the Cross-Base Highway) is a state highway located entirely in Pierce County, Washington, United States. It is intended to provide access between Interstate 5 (I-5) and SR 7 by passing through a portion of Joint Base Lewis–McChord, a major U.S. military installation. The designated route comprises a short, 0.6-mile (0.97 km) section near SR 7 in Spanaway. The full 6-mile (9.7 km) highway is estimated to cost $480 million to construct, but remains unfunded.
The legislative definition of SR 704 begins at I-5 near Lakewood on the northwest side of Joint Base Lewis–McChord, a U.S. military installation. The signed portion of the highway begins at milepost 5.92, an intersection with Spanaway Loop Road south of Spanaway Lake. The highway travels east for 0.63 miles (1.01 km) between Joint Base Lewis–McChord and a residential neighborhood to its eastern terminus, an intersection with SR 7 at 176th Street East. The signed section of SR 704 is wholly contained within the unincorporated community of Spanaway in southern Pierce County.
The signed portion of SR 704 is a divided highway with five lanes—three eastbound and two westbound—separated by a median barrier. It 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. The lone counting station on SR 704, at Spanaway Lake Road, measured an average of 22,000 vehicles using the highway in 2016.
The Pierce County government proposed the construction of a new highway connecting I-5 to SR 7 south of McChord Air Force Base in the late 1980s to address congestion on nearby highways. The route would follow the perimeter between McChord Air Force Base and neighboring Fort Lewis, terminating at Thorne Lane in Tillicum in the west and Spanaway in the east. The proposal, dubbed the Cross-Base Highway, was forwarded to the state government, U.S. Army, and U.S. Air Force for consideration. The county government studied eight routes for the highway and eliminated four in 1992 after being unable to reduce impacts to the Fort Lewis Logistics Center. The remaining options were determined to have adverse affects on American Lake Gardens, a residential neighborhood near the Thorne Lake interchange, generating protests.
In 2002, the state legislature assigned SR 704 to the Cross-Base Highway and earmarked part of the $127 million in funding needed for the project. The Federal Highway Administration issued a record of decision that approved the project in 2004, allowing for land acquisition and engineering to begin. The project remained opposed by environmental and conservation groups seeking to limit urban sprawl and the encroachment on the habitats of endangered species. $50 million in funding for the project was proposed as part of the 2007 Roads and Transit ballot measure, which was rejected by voters. Earlier versions of the package omitted SR 704 in favor of widening other streets and addressing needs on other Pierce County highways.
In July 2010, a coalition of local businesses, conservation organizations, and equestrian clubs filed a lawsuit against the Federal Highway Administration, WSDOT, and Pierce County to prevent construction of the proposed highway. Because the project has no funding and thus no construction schedule, the parties agreed to a stay of proceedings on October 15.
The coalition contended that the agencies failed to follow the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and failed to adequately consider reasonable alternatives. The coalition reports that the proposed highway would bisect the largest remnant oak woodland-prairie left in the Puget Sound area. The US Fish and Wildlife Service describes the area as "possibly the rarest habitat in North America," home to at least 29 species of federal and/or state threatened, endangered, candidate, and sensitive plant and animal species of concern, 18 of which are in the immediate vicinity of the proposed highway.
Drawing comparisons with Mt. Rainier National Park and Nisqually National Wildlife Area, Pierce County's Biodiversity Network Assessment describes the area as "the most biologically and ecologically rich area remaining in the lower elevations of Pierce County." The County predicts that these diverse habitats support 20 state or federally listed species, 24 Priority Habitat and Species, and 10 at-risk species, and dozens of other plants and animals.
Hub AI
Washington State Route 704 AI simulator
(@Washington State Route 704_simulator)
Washington State Route 704
State Route 704 (known as SR 704 or the Cross-Base Highway) is a state highway located entirely in Pierce County, Washington, United States. It is intended to provide access between Interstate 5 (I-5) and SR 7 by passing through a portion of Joint Base Lewis–McChord, a major U.S. military installation. The designated route comprises a short, 0.6-mile (0.97 km) section near SR 7 in Spanaway. The full 6-mile (9.7 km) highway is estimated to cost $480 million to construct, but remains unfunded.
The legislative definition of SR 704 begins at I-5 near Lakewood on the northwest side of Joint Base Lewis–McChord, a U.S. military installation. The signed portion of the highway begins at milepost 5.92, an intersection with Spanaway Loop Road south of Spanaway Lake. The highway travels east for 0.63 miles (1.01 km) between Joint Base Lewis–McChord and a residential neighborhood to its eastern terminus, an intersection with SR 7 at 176th Street East. The signed section of SR 704 is wholly contained within the unincorporated community of Spanaway in southern Pierce County.
The signed portion of SR 704 is a divided highway with five lanes—three eastbound and two westbound—separated by a median barrier. It 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. The lone counting station on SR 704, at Spanaway Lake Road, measured an average of 22,000 vehicles using the highway in 2016.
The Pierce County government proposed the construction of a new highway connecting I-5 to SR 7 south of McChord Air Force Base in the late 1980s to address congestion on nearby highways. The route would follow the perimeter between McChord Air Force Base and neighboring Fort Lewis, terminating at Thorne Lane in Tillicum in the west and Spanaway in the east. The proposal, dubbed the Cross-Base Highway, was forwarded to the state government, U.S. Army, and U.S. Air Force for consideration. The county government studied eight routes for the highway and eliminated four in 1992 after being unable to reduce impacts to the Fort Lewis Logistics Center. The remaining options were determined to have adverse affects on American Lake Gardens, a residential neighborhood near the Thorne Lake interchange, generating protests.
In 2002, the state legislature assigned SR 704 to the Cross-Base Highway and earmarked part of the $127 million in funding needed for the project. The Federal Highway Administration issued a record of decision that approved the project in 2004, allowing for land acquisition and engineering to begin. The project remained opposed by environmental and conservation groups seeking to limit urban sprawl and the encroachment on the habitats of endangered species. $50 million in funding for the project was proposed as part of the 2007 Roads and Transit ballot measure, which was rejected by voters. Earlier versions of the package omitted SR 704 in favor of widening other streets and addressing needs on other Pierce County highways.
In July 2010, a coalition of local businesses, conservation organizations, and equestrian clubs filed a lawsuit against the Federal Highway Administration, WSDOT, and Pierce County to prevent construction of the proposed highway. Because the project has no funding and thus no construction schedule, the parties agreed to a stay of proceedings on October 15.
The coalition contended that the agencies failed to follow the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and failed to adequately consider reasonable alternatives. The coalition reports that the proposed highway would bisect the largest remnant oak woodland-prairie left in the Puget Sound area. The US Fish and Wildlife Service describes the area as "possibly the rarest habitat in North America," home to at least 29 species of federal and/or state threatened, endangered, candidate, and sensitive plant and animal species of concern, 18 of which are in the immediate vicinity of the proposed highway.
Drawing comparisons with Mt. Rainier National Park and Nisqually National Wildlife Area, Pierce County's Biodiversity Network Assessment describes the area as "the most biologically and ecologically rich area remaining in the lower elevations of Pierce County." The County predicts that these diverse habitats support 20 state or federally listed species, 24 Priority Habitat and Species, and 10 at-risk species, and dozens of other plants and animals.