Community Transportation

Sign, not median, will restrict left turns from Burnham to northbound Highway 302

For now, only a sign will restrict drivers from turning left from Burnham Drive to northbound Highway 302 in Purdy, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.  

Work intended to improve safety along Highway 302 between Purdy and the on ramp to eastbound Highway 16 starts Wednesday, Sept. 16. The project involves eliminating one of two southbound lanes between the Purdy Bridge and Burnham, as well as restricting left turns from Burnham. 

WSDOT expects to largely wrap up the work by the afternoon of Thursday, Sept. 17. Crews will finish some striping work on the weekend, according to an email from department spokesperson Cara Mitchell. 

The department doesn’t know exactly how much the work will cost, but the “changes are considered low-cost enhancements with a budget of under $100,000,” Mitchell wrote. 

That means only a sign, instead of a physical barrier, preventing a left turn from Burnham to Highway 302. Mitchell said WSDOT will “continue to monitor and harden the site further if needed.” 

A car turns left from Burnham Drive to northbound Highway 302 in Purdy on Monday, Sept. 14, 2026. WSDOT will prohibit such a turn after road work planned for Sept. 16 and 17. Photo by Vince Dice

‘Low-cost enhancements’

The intersection was the site of a recent fatal collision. Gurpreet Kaur, 42, of Gig Harbor died in February while attempting to turn left from Burnham to northbound 302. However, Mitchell said that “no single incident” provided the impetus for the improvements. 

“Due to the increase in average daily trips through this area, WSDOT has been working to secure funding for safety enhancements throughout the corridor for some time,” Mitchell wrote. “However, we’ve been unsuccessful in finding capital funding for broader enhancements — which is one of the reasons these low-cost enhancements are occurring now.” 

WSDOT does not plan any changes to the left-turn lane from southbound 302 to Goodnough Lane, which is directly across from Burnham Drive. 

Southbound 302 is currently two lanes between the Purdy Bridge and Burnham. After Thursday, it will be one lane, with what is now the right lane converted to a shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists. 

WSDOT previously said that the lane reduction will decrease “risky driver behavior including speeding and last-minute merging near the SR 16 interchange.” 

The rightmost of two southbound lanes of Highway 302 between the Purdy Bridge and Burnham Drive will become a shared use path. Photo by Vince Dice