Interstate 705 South

Traveling south along Schuster Parkway from the merge Ruston Way with the ramp from N 30th Street.

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Schuster Parkway hugs the hillside along Commencement Bay along its route south from Old Tacoma to Interstate 705. A BNSF Railroad parallels between the way and four lane highway.

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A brief roadway separation takes the southbound roadway for Schuster Parkway above the parallel northbound roadway.

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Schuster Parkway south intersects S 4th Street ahead of Interstate 705. S 4th Street lowers to Dock Street along Thea Foss Waterway to provide an alternate route to Downtown Tacoma.

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Schuster Parkway splits into ramps for the southbound beginning of Interstate 705 and Pacific Avenue south to the Theater District.

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Ramps from Schuster Parkway south and Stadium Way combine to form the Interstate 705 mainline at a cut and cover tunnel below Firemans Park.

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Interstate 705 emerges from the tunnel below the S 11th Street bridge. 11th Street previously carried SR 509 east from Pacific Avenue to Marine View Drive. The state route was relocated in 1996 and the crossing of E 11th Street over Blair Waterway was subsequently removed.¹

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Traffic along Interstate 705 combines with the entrance ramp from S 13th / A Street ahead of the single point urban interchange (SPUI) with SR 509 (S 21st Street).

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SR 509 constitutes a freeway east from Interstate 705 to the Port of Tacoma area. The highway includes a cable-stayed bridge over the Thea Foss Waterway.

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The exit for SR 509 splits for the port and S 21st Street west to Pacific Avenue and Jefferson Avenue south of Union Station.

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I-705 south proceeds onto an elevated viaduct over 24th through 26th Streets to Interstate 5 and SR 7 south.

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I-705 separates into two lane ramps for I-5 south to Olympia and Portland, Oregon and I-5 north / SR 7 south to Seattle and Pacific Avenue respectively.

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Southbound Interstate 5 travels from I-705 to the exchange SR 16 west for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and Gig Harbor.

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The exit for I-5 north leaves I-705 south at the transition into SR 7. Interstate 5 runs east to Fife and Federal Way before turning north to Kent and Seattle.

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A multi level interchnage joins I-705, I-5 and SR 7 at the north end of Tacoma Eastern Gulch.

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SR 7 constitutes a 58.60 mile long highway from I-705 in Tacoma south to U.S. 12 at Morton.

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SR 7 extends the freeway from I-705 south to S 38th Street. 38th Street leads SR 7 west to Pacific Avenue south. Mount Rainier is a control point for the SR 7 connection with SR 706 east at Elbe.

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E 34th Street travels high above SR 7 on an arch bridge between B and D Streets south of Interstate 5.

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SR 7 joins 38th Street at a half cloverleaf interchange.

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SR 7 shifts west onto S 38th Street to Pacific Avenue south. A loop ramp follows onto E 38th Street toward the Salishan neighborhood of Tacoma.

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Roadway stubs below 38th Street are leftover from an unconstructed extension of the freeway along SR 7 south.

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