07-02-2025
What's that construction near the state fairgrounds in Puyallup? Here's what we know
Crews started construction this week on a $5 million festival street along the fairgrounds in Puyallup.
The project on Ninth Avenue Southwest, by the Red Gate, has closed the road from Meridian to Fifth Street Southwest until this fall. The fair chipped in $1 million and donated land to accommodate sidewalks in the right of way, the city previously told The News Tribune.
The end result will be a curbless street that can be easily closed to accommodate pedestrians during major events at the fairgrounds. It will have a promenade design, with wide sidewalks, lighting, planters and benches.
'During the day, it functions as a normal street for vehicles. However, during evenings and weekends, it can be closed to host events, festivals, and gatherings,' city spokesperson Eric Johnson told The News Tribune in an email Thursday. 'The street will also be safer for drivers and pedestrians. The street is designed with traffic calming techniques, which essentially narrow the roadway and encourage drivers to slow down.'
That means on-street parking on that stretch of Ninth Avenue Southwest will go away. Johnson said that parking has been underutilized, and that fair parking lots nearby provide an alternative.
Crews hope to finish the festival street this summer.
'We closed it at the beginning of this week,' Johnson said about Ninth Avenue Southwest along the fairgrounds. 'Contractors have started working, and we hope to have it done by September for the Fall Fair.'
The 2025 Washington State Fair starts Aug. 29. This year is the fair's 125th anniversary.
'The fair has been a great partner with us on this project,' Johnson wrote.
Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer records show the fairs owns all but one parcel along the festival street, on both sides of Ninth Avenue Southwest.
Johnson said the project will 'strengthen the fair's connection to downtown.'
The city is planning a similar festival street in the coming years on East Meeker, from Meridian to Third Street Southeast.
News Tribune archives contributed to this report.
