The highway follows roads constructed in the early 20th century and maintained by the Thurston County government until their incorporation into the state highway system. The state government created Secondary State Highway 1M (SSH 1M) in 1937, initially connecting Rochester to Tumwater before its north end was truncated to Maytown in 1959. SSH 1M was renumbered in 1964 to the short-lived SR 801, which was then replaced by SR 121 in 1967. The Rochester–Maytown section of SR 121 was replaced by the route through Millersylvania State Park in 1991, severing its connection to US 12.
SR 121 begins at a partial cloverleaf interchange with I-5 and Maytown Road near the community of the same name, located east of Littlerock in southern Thurston County. It travels east along a railroad owned by Tacoma Rail, crossing Beaver Creek twice and entering a forested area.[3][4] The highway then turns north onto Tilley Road and crosses over the railroad, traveling around Deep Lake and reaching Millersylvania State Park. SR 121 travels through the state park, serving its main entrance and the park headquarters,[5] and continues north across Salmon Creek into farmland. The highway turns west onto 93rd Avenue Southeast near the runway of Olympia Regional Airport and travels through an industrial area and past a truck stop before reaching its northern terminus an interchange with I-5 in southern Tumwater.[4][6]
The two-lane highway is 7.67 miles (12.34 km) long[1] and travels through predominantly rural areas, serving primarily as a connector to Millersylvania State Park and Olympia Regional Airport.[4] SR 121 is maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which conducts an annual survey on state highways to measure traffic volume in terms of annual average daily traffic. Average traffic volumes on the highway in 2016 ranged from a minimum of 1,000 vehicles at its turn onto Tilley Road to a maximum of 16,000 vehicles near its northern interchange with I-5.[7]
Historyedit
A road following the Milwaukee Road from Littlerock to Maytown and continuing north towards Bush Prairie in modern-day Tumwater was constructed by the 1910s.[8][9] Millersylvania State Park was established in 1924 and the north–south road through it (named Tilley Road) was improved and paved by its Civilian Conservation Corps camp in the 1930s.[10][11] The westernmost section of the road near Littlerock was incorporated into the state highway system as part of Secondary State Highway 1M (SSH 1M), created in 1937 to connect Rochester to Tumwater.[12][13] Maytown Road remained under Thurston County's maintenance, which included a major rebuilding project in 1954 following the completion of a freeway interchange with U.S. Route 99 (US 99), later part of I-5.[14]
The shield of SR 801, used from 1964–1967
SSH 1M was truncated to the Maytown interchange in 1959, taking over a portion of Maytown Road.[15][16] During the 1964 renumbering of state highways, which introduced a new numbering system, SSH 1M was replaced with SR 801, a auxiliary route of SR 8.[17] Following the replacement of SR 8 by the cross-state extension of US 12 in 1967,[18] the highway was renumbered to SR 121.[19] The designation was previously used by a branch of SR 12 (now SR 14) between Bingen and White Salmon that was renumbered to SR 141.[20][21]
In 1991, the Rochester–Maytown highway was removed from the state highway system and replaced by a loop through Millersylvania State Park as the new alignment of SR 121.[22] The new alignment would use Maytown Road, Tilley Road, and Lathrop Road (now 93rd Avenue Southwest), terminating at an interchange with I-5 that opened in 1968.[23] The rerouting also severed the connection between SR 121 and its parent route, US 12.[24]
^ abcMultimodal Planning Division (January 4, 2021). State Highway Log Planning Report 2020, SR 2 to SR 971 (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. pp. 964–965. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^Rail Lines in Thurston County and Surrounding Areas (Map). Thurston Regional Planning Council. December 2004. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^ abc"Corridor Sketch Summary – SR 121: I-5 Jct (Maytown) to I-5 Jct (Tumwater Vic)" (PDF). Washington State Department of Transportation. October 8, 2018. (PDF) from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^Millersylvania State Park (Map). Washington State Parks. February 19, 2020. from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^Google (September 29, 2021). "State Route 121" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^2016 Annual Traffic Report (PDF) (Report). Washington State Department of Transportation. 2017. p. 144. (PDF) from the original on August 12, 2017. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^Washington: Chehalis Quadrangle (Topographic map). 1:125,000. United States Geological Survey. 1916. from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^"Road Program Requests Made". Tacoma Daily Ledger. March 31, 1931. p. 12. from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Millersylvania State Park". Washington State Parks. from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^Washington: Tenino Quadrangle, 15-Minute Series (Topographic map). 1:62,500. United States Geological Survey. 1944. from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^"Chapter 207: Classification of Public Highways" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1937. Washington State Legislature. March 18, 1937. p. 996. (PDF) from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^Washington State Department of Highways (1939). Highways of the State of Washington (Map). Cartography by Rand McNally. Olympia: Washington State Department of Highways. Retrieved December 13, 2010 – via Washington State Archives.
^"Maytown Road Job Advancing". The Daily Chronicle. September 3, 1954. p. 7. from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Chapter 319: Highways" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1959. Washington State Legislature. March 24, 1959. p. 1523. (PDF) from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^Washington State Department of Highways (1960). Official Washington State Highway Map and Tourist Guide (Map). Olympia: Washington State Highway Commission. Retrieved September 29, 2021 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
^"Identification of State Highways: Legislative Highway Numbers With Corresponding Sign Route Numbers" (PDF). Washington State Highway Commission. December 1, 1965. p. 16. (PDF) from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^"Crews Extend U.S. 12 Signs". Spokane Daily Chronicle. December 30, 1967. p. 3. from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^Washington State Department of Highways (1968). Washington State Highways (Map). Olympia: Washington State Highway Commission. Retrieved September 29, 2021 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
^Washington State Department of Highways (1964). Washington State Highways: Official Highway Map and Tourist Guide of the State of Washington (Map). Olympia: Washington State Highway Commission. Retrieved September 29, 2021 – via WSDOT Library Digital Collections.
^"New Highway Numbers". The Oregonian. February 13, 1968. p. 17.
^"Chapter 342: State Highway Routes—Revisions To" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1991. Washington State Legislature. May 21, 1991. p. 5. (PDF) from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
^"Road Link Completed". The Daily Chronicle. July 3, 1968. p. 1. from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^Washington State Department of Transportation (2000). (PDF) (Map). 1:842,000. Olympia: Washington State Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
washington, state, route, state, route, state, highway, located, entirely, thurston, county, washington, united, states, highway, serves, millersylvania, state, park, forming, mile, loop, between, interchanges, with, interstate, near, maytown, auxiliary, route. State Route 121 SR 121 is a state highway located entirely in Thurston County Washington United States The highway serves Millersylvania State Park forming a 7 67 mile 12 34 km loop between two interchanges with Interstate 5 I 5 near Maytown It is an auxiliary route of U S Route 12 US 12 State Route 121SR 121 highlighted in redRoute informationAuxiliary route of US 12Maintained by WSDOTLength7 67 mi 1 12 34 km Existed1967 2 presentMajor junctionsSouth endI 5 near MaytownNorth endI 5 near TumwaterLocationCountryUnited StatesStateWashingtonCountiesThurstonHighway systemState highways in Washington Interstate US State Scenic Pre 1964 1964 renumbering Former SR 119 SR 122 The highway follows roads constructed in the early 20th century and maintained by the Thurston County government until their incorporation into the state highway system The state government created Secondary State Highway 1M SSH 1M in 1937 initially connecting Rochester to Tumwater before its north end was truncated to Maytown in 1959 SSH 1M was renumbered in 1964 to the short lived SR 801 which was then replaced by SR 121 in 1967 The Rochester Maytown section of SR 121 was replaced by the route through Millersylvania State Park in 1991 severing its connection to US 12 Contents 1 Route description 2 History 3 Major intersections 4 References 5 External linksRoute description edit nbsp Looking southbound on SR 121 near Maytown SR 121 begins at a partial cloverleaf interchange with I 5 and Maytown Road near the community of the same name located east of Littlerock in southern Thurston County It travels east along a railroad owned by Tacoma Rail crossing Beaver Creek twice and entering a forested area 3 4 The highway then turns north onto Tilley Road and crosses over the railroad traveling around Deep Lake and reaching Millersylvania State Park SR 121 travels through the state park serving its main entrance and the park headquarters 5 and continues north across Salmon Creek into farmland The highway turns west onto 93rd Avenue Southeast near the runway of Olympia Regional Airport and travels through an industrial area and past a truck stop before reaching its northern terminus an interchange with I 5 in southern Tumwater 4 6 The two lane highway is 7 67 miles 12 34 km long 1 and travels through predominantly rural areas serving primarily as a connector to Millersylvania State Park and Olympia Regional Airport 4 SR 121 is maintained by the Washington State Department of Transportation WSDOT which conducts an annual survey on state highways to measure traffic volume in terms of annual average daily traffic Average traffic volumes on the highway in 2016 ranged from a minimum of 1 000 vehicles at its turn onto Tilley Road to a maximum of 16 000 vehicles near its northern interchange with I 5 7 History editA road following the Milwaukee Road from Littlerock to Maytown and continuing north towards Bush Prairie in modern day Tumwater was constructed by the 1910s 8 9 Millersylvania State Park was established in 1924 and the north south road through it named Tilley Road was improved and paved by its Civilian Conservation Corps camp in the 1930s 10 11 The westernmost section of the road near Littlerock was incorporated into the state highway system as part of Secondary State Highway 1M SSH 1M created in 1937 to connect Rochester to Tumwater 12 13 Maytown Road remained under Thurston County s maintenance which included a major rebuilding project in 1954 following the completion of a freeway interchange with U S Route 99 US 99 later part of I 5 14 nbsp The shield of SR 801 used from 1964 1967 SSH 1M was truncated to the Maytown interchange in 1959 taking over a portion of Maytown Road 15 16 During the 1964 renumbering of state highways which introduced a new numbering system SSH 1M was replaced with SR 801 a auxiliary route of SR 8 17 Following the replacement of SR 8 by the cross state extension of US 12 in 1967 18 the highway was renumbered to SR 121 19 The designation was previously used by a branch of SR 12 now SR 14 between Bingen and White Salmon that was renumbered to SR 141 20 21 In 1991 the Rochester Maytown highway was removed from the state highway system and replaced by a loop through Millersylvania State Park as the new alignment of SR 121 22 The new alignment would use Maytown Road Tilley Road and Lathrop Road now 93rd Avenue Southwest terminating at an interchange with I 5 that opened in 1968 23 The rerouting also severed the connection between SR 121 and its parent route US 12 24 Major intersections editThe entire route is in Thurston County Locationmi 1 kmDestinationsNotes 0 000 00 nbsp I 5 Portland Olympia SeattleContinues west as Maytown Road Southwest 7 6712 34 nbsp I 5 Portland Olympia SeattleContinues west as 93rd Avenue Southwest 1 000 mi 1 609 km 1 000 km 0 621 miReferences edit a b c Multimodal Planning Division January 4 2021 State Highway Log Planning Report 2020 SR 2 to SR 971 PDF Report Washington State Department of Transportation pp 964 965 Retrieved September 29 2021 RCW 47 17 225 State route No 121 Revised Code of Washington Washington State Legislature 1970 revised 1991 Archived from the original on September 29 2021 Retrieved September 29 2021 Rail Lines in Thurston County and Surrounding Areas Map Thurston Regional Planning Council December 2004 Retrieved September 29 2021 a b c Corridor Sketch Summary SR 121 I 5 Jct Maytown to I 5 Jct Tumwater Vic PDF Washington State Department of Transportation October 8 2018 Archived PDF from the original on October 1 2020 Retrieved September 29 2021 Millersylvania State Park Map Washington State Parks February 19 2020 Archived from the original on May 7 2021 Retrieved September 29 2021 Google September 29 2021 State Route 121 Map Google Maps Google Retrieved September 29 2021 2016 Annual Traffic Report PDF Report Washington State Department of Transportation 2017 p 144 Archived PDF from the original on August 12 2017 Retrieved September 29 2021 Washington Chehalis Quadrangle Topographic map 1 125 000 United States Geological Survey 1916 Archived from the original on September 30 2021 Retrieved September 29 2021 Road Program Requests Made Tacoma Daily Ledger March 31 1931 p 12 Archived from the original on September 30 2021 Retrieved September 29 2021 via Newspapers com Millersylvania State Park Washington State Parks Archived from the original on May 17 2021 Retrieved September 29 2021 Washington Tenino Quadrangle 15 Minute Series Topographic map 1 62 500 United States Geological Survey 1944 Archived from the original on September 30 2021 Retrieved September 29 2021 Chapter 207 Classification of Public Highways PDF Session Laws of the State of Washington 1937 Washington State Legislature March 18 1937 p 996 Archived PDF from the original on August 31 2021 Retrieved September 29 2021 Washington State Department of Highways 1939 Highways of the State of Washington Map Cartography by Rand McNally Olympia Washington State Department of Highways Retrieved December 13 2010 via Washington State Archives Maytown Road Job Advancing The Daily Chronicle September 3 1954 p 7 Archived from the original on September 30 2021 Retrieved September 29 2021 via Newspapers com Chapter 319 Highways PDF Session Laws of the State of Washington 1959 Washington State Legislature March 24 1959 p 1523 Archived PDF from the original on October 21 2020 Retrieved September 29 2021 Washington State Department of Highways 1960 Official Washington State Highway Map and Tourist Guide Map Olympia Washington State Highway Commission Retrieved September 29 2021 via WSDOT Library Digital Collections Identification of State Highways Legislative Highway Numbers With Corresponding Sign Route Numbers PDF Washington State Highway Commission December 1 1965 p 16 Archived PDF from the original on August 30 2021 Retrieved September 29 2021 Crews Extend U S 12 Signs Spokane Daily Chronicle December 30 1967 p 3 Archived from the original on September 30 2021 Retrieved September 29 2021 via Newspapers com Washington State Department of Highways 1968 Washington State Highways Map Olympia Washington State Highway Commission Retrieved September 29 2021 via WSDOT Library Digital Collections Washington State Department of Highways 1964 Washington State Highways Official Highway Map and Tourist Guide of the State of Washington Map Olympia Washington State Highway Commission Retrieved September 29 2021 via WSDOT Library Digital Collections New Highway Numbers The Oregonian February 13 1968 p 17 Chapter 342 State Highway Routes Revisions To PDF Session Laws of the State of Washington 1991 Washington State Legislature May 21 1991 p 5 Archived PDF from the original on October 19 2020 Retrieved September 29 2021 Road Link Completed The Daily Chronicle July 3 1968 p 1 Archived from the original on September 30 2021 Retrieved September 29 2021 via Newspapers com Washington State Department of Transportation 2000 Washington State Highways 2000 2001 PDF Map 1 842 000 Olympia Washington State Department of Transportation Archived from the original PDF on October 21 2020 Retrieved September 29 2021 External links editKML file edit help Template Attached KML Washington State Route 121KML is from Wikidata Highways of Washington State Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Washington State Route 121 amp oldid 1223296310, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
