SR 163 was established during the
1964 highway renumbering, extending from
Sumner to
Auburn. The highway was previously a part of the
Pacific Highway during the early 20th century, but was designated as a branch of
State Road 5 and
Primary State Highway 5 (PSH 5) until 1964. SR 163 became
SR 167 during the late 1960s and was moved to Pearl Street in 1991, with the ferry route being added in 1994.
The ferry, operated by
Washington State Ferries (WSF), is on a 1.7-mile-long (2.7 km) route and is served by the
Kwa-di Tabil classMV Chetzemoka traveling at a speed of 15 knots (17 mph) for a 15-minute crossing.[5] The ferries depart from Port Defiance and head north across the
Dalco Passage to the community of
Tahlequah on
Vashon Island.[6] WSF operates the ferry every day with 19 crossings,[7][8] as a $5 toll for adult passengers is charged with prepaid Wave2Go cards being accepted.[9]
Every year, the
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) conducts a series of surveys on its highways in the state to measure traffic volume. This is expressed in terms of
annual average daily traffic (AADT), which is a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. In 2011, WSDOT calculated that between 1,000 and 26,000 vehicles per day used the highway, mostly at the SR 16 interchange in Tacoma.[10] The Point Defiance–Tahlequah ferry carried 650,000 passengers and 383,000 vehicles in 2012, according to WSF statistics.[11]
Regular ferry service on the Dalco Passage between Point Defiance in Tacoma and
Tahlequah on
Vashon Island started with the
MV Skansonia in June 1951 during the creation of the WSF,[26][27] and served the route until the completion of the
MV Hiyu in 1967.[28][29] The Hiyu operated for 26 years until it was replaced by the refurbished
MV Rhododendron in 1993.[30] The Hiyu briefly returned to the route twice, in June 2008 and in September and October 2008,[31] while the Rhododendron was loaned out to
Pierce County for the
Steilacoom–Anderson Island ferry.[32][33] The
MV Chetzemoka, built in 2010, began serving the route in January 2012.[34]
^Seattle, 1965(JPG) (Map). 1:250,000. United States Geological Survey. 1965. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
^Washington State Legislature (March 12, 1913). "Chapter 65: Classifying Public Highways".
Session Laws of the State of Washington (1913 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature. p. 221. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
^Washington State Legislature (March 19, 1923). "Chapter 185: Primary and Secondary State Highways".
Session Laws of the State of Washington (1923 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature. pp. 627–625. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
^Washington State Legislature (February 18, 1925). "Chapter 26".
Session Laws of the State of Washington (1923 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature. p. 58. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
^Washington State Legislature (March 17, 1937). "Chapter 190: Establishment of Primary State Highways".
Session Laws of the State of Washington (1937 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature. pp. 936–937. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
^"47.17.330: State route No. 167". Revised Code of Washington. Washington State Legislature. 1991 [1970]. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
^Washington State Legislature (May 21, 1991). "Chapter 342: Engrossed Senate Bill 5801". Session Laws of the State of Washington (1991 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature.
^Washington State Legislature (March 30, 1994).
"Chapter 209: Substitute House Bill 2618". Session Laws of the State of Washington (1994 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature. Retrieved February 1, 2013.