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A popular commuter route through Pierce County has been closed for construction for several months, and it might be closed for a lot longer than expected.

Spanaway Loop Road has been closed since the middle of October for a . It’s a very popular route for people trying to avoid the congestion on Pacific Avenue, working on the east side of Joint Base Lewis–McChord (JBLM) up to Highway 512 or Interstate 5 (I-5). The closure is just west of Pacific Lutheran University and Washington High School.

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I received a text from a listener last week asking about the project.

“Why is no progress being made on Spanaway Loop Road closure, at least by what can be seen by driving by?” the listener asked. “Very cumbersome.”

Previous coverage on the construction project: Pierce County’s Spanaway Loop shortcut to close for four months

I checked out the and found this update from last Thursday.

“Sewer construction work on Spanaway Loop Road South has been impacted by several ongoing challenges,” the update read. “As a result, the closure of Spanaway Loop has been extended and will remain in place for the near future.”

I reached out to Pierce County to find out what those challenges are.

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It appears that diesel fuel was discovered in the trench, and Pierce County doesn’t know where it came from. A county spokesperson also said there is more groundwater in the area than the contractor was prepared to deal with.

Until the county can figure out where the diesel came from and handle the groundwater issue, the sewer project is on hold. The road was supposed to be closed for four months. There is no updated timeline yet.

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