Many downtown Kent streets will be closed between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Thursday, March 1 as thousands of law enforcement officers attend a memorial service for slain Washington State Patrol trooper Tony Radulescu at the ShoWare Center.

Officers from across the nation as well as from Canada will attend the service, according to a Kent Police media release.

While the service is open to the public, those not attending are advised there will be heavy congestion in the downtown area for about six hours. The service starts at 1 p.m.

Those citizens who wish to attend the memorial are asked to use the auxiliary parking area at the Boeing facility, 20400 West Valley Highway. There will be a shuttle service between the parking lot and ShoWare Center.

Drivers are encouraged to use South 212th Street or South 277th Street when cross the Kent Valley. The ShoWare Center is at 625 W. James St. State Route 167 and the West Valley HWY are suggested for north and south travels.

Metro bus service will continue at the Kent Transit Center, however, normal service at the Lincoln Park-n-Ride will be closed on that day. Those commuters who use the Lincoln Park-n-Ride are encouraged to view the King County Metro Transit web site and use other parking arrangements.

Street closure update

To prepare for the closures some areas will become restricted as early as 8 a.m. The first full closures will be begin around 10 a.m. and others will follow shortly after. Much of the timing will depend on the arrival of the motorcade but the tentative schedule is as follows.

• Closed by 10 a.m. – James St from Central Ave N to Washington Ave N, and 4th Ave from James St to S 228th St

• Closures starting shortly after 10 a.m. for the motorcade – Willis St from the SR167 to 3rd Ave S, and 4th Ave from Willis St to James St (through S 228th St)

Because of the 4th Ave closure much of downtown Kent may be congested or blocked. It may not be possible to cross through downtown Kent from roughly 10 a.m. until after the memorial service has started at 1 p.m.  Recommended routes around downtown Thursday any time from 10:00 to 5:00 are the 228th Corridor (S 231st Wy, S 228th St) and the 277th Corridor. Expect some congestion on even these routes when the memorial service ends at approximately 3 p.m.

Crews will start to open downtown streets after the memorial service has begun except for James St, which will remain closed from Central Ave N to Washington Ave N, and 4th Ave, which will remain closed from Smith St to S 228th St. James St and 4th Ave will remain closed until after the memorial service has finished and will be opened as soon as possible after the memorial service traffic is cleared.

In short – please use alternate routes around the downtown Kent area from 10 a.m. to at least 4 p.m. on Thursday.

For more information about street closures Thursday, go to www.drivekent.com.

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