Pierce - KEY PENNINSULA / OLSON DR

Logging operations commenced in the Key Center area in 1870. Transportation comprised of a flat bottom Steam wheeler ship that would beach itself on the mud flats for loading /unloading cargo. By 1891 a permanent wharf and Post Office, served by a fleet of steamships, was in operation at Glen Cove. The road network branched out from the wharf to transport mail, freight, and passengers. The advent of the automobile and an improved roadway network created a shift in the primary mode of transportation on the Peninsula. The Key Peninsula Highway, through the project area, was a designated State Route (SR-302) through the Key Center region to points west such as Belfair/Allyn. In recent years, the alignment of SR-302 was redirected west at Elgin-Clifton Rd, North of Key Center, to provide a direct route to SR-3 which serves Belfair and Allyn. The portion of Key Peninsula Highway through Key Center then became a County roadway.

In 2002, the project included upgrading the existing flashing beacon with a new flashing beacon. In 2006, Pierce County completed a traffic analysis and determined that the intersection meet warrants for a fully actuated traffic signal system. The project scope, now with a traffic signal, included left turn lanes on Key Peninsula Hwy and guardrail. The project design process included participation from the local community which expressed a desire for an “urban feel” at the intersection. The intersection defines the Key Center Village Rural Activity Center and is considered a “gateway” intersection by the local population.

Pierce County successfully implemented the rural safety project by replacing the flashing beacon with a mast arm traffic signal, left turn lanes on Key Peninsula Highway and installation of guardrail. Local funds were used to install sidewalks adjacent to the intersection which enhance the community center atmosphere desired by the local population. Pierce County donated the old flashing beacon to a local historical society.