 SR 16 begins on the Nalley Valley Viaduct in Tacoma at an interchange with I-5 between the Tacoma Mall and Downtown. The freeway travels northwest over the Sound Transit Sounder commuter train to a semi-directional T interchange with Sprague Avenue, where it begins paralleling the Scott Pierson Trail. SR 16 continues west past a diamond interchange with Union Avenue and an interchange with Center Street at Cheney Stadium towards the Skyline neighborhood of North Tacoma. The freeway travels around Tacoma Community College past partial cloverleaf interchanges with 19th Street and Pearl Street, the latter being signed as SR 163 as it heads north into Ruston and towards Vashon Island. SR 16 continues west past a partial cloverleaf interchange with Jackson Avenue and towards the Tacoma Narrows on the twin-suspension Tacoma Narrows Bridges. The 5,979-foot-long (1,822 m) westbound span and the tolled 5,400-foot-long (1,600 m) eastbound span combine to carry six lanes of SR 16 onto the Kitsap Peninsula. The eastbound span is tolled via electronic toll collection through the Good To Go! program on the Kitsap Peninsula side of the bridge. Tolls for two passengers and / or a motorcycle are set at $ 4 for Good To Go! accounts and $ 6 collected at the toll plaza, with prices increasing for each additional passenger by $ 2 for Good To Go! accounts and by $ 2.50 for non-Good To Go! users.
