SR 164 was originally part of various state wagon roads between 1913 and 1923, becoming part of State Road 5, later Primary State Highway 5 (PSH 5), and U.S. Route 410 (US 410) in 1926. US 410 was later realigned south in the 1940s and SR 167 was assigned to the former route during the 1964 highway renumbering. In 1969, SR 164 was established and the western terminus was later shortened to an interchange with SR 18 south of Auburn.
Every year, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) conducts a series of surveys on its highways in the state to measure traffic volume. This is expressed in terms of annual average daily traffic (AADT), which is a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. In 2011, WSDOT calculated that between 9,200 and 34,000 vehicles per day used the highway, mostly in the Auburn area.[5] WSDOT has designated SR 164 as a Highway of Statewide Significance, which includes principal arterials that are needed to connect major communities in the state.[6][7]
^Washington: Tacoma Quadrangle(JPG) (Map). 1:125,000. United States Geological Survey. March 1900. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
^Washington State Legislature (March 2, 1921). "Chapter 34: McClellan Pass". Session Laws of the State of Washington (1921 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature. p. 118. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
^Washington State Legislature (March 19, 1923). "Chapter 185: Primary and Secondary State Highways". Session Laws of the State of Washington (1923 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature. pp. 628–629. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
^Washington State Legislature (March 17, 1937). "Chapter 190: Establishment of Primary State Highways". Session Laws of the State of Washington (1937 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature. pp. 935–937. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
^Seattle, 1965(JPG) (Map). 1:250,000. United States Geological Survey. 1965. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
^Washington State Legislature (1969). "Extended Session 281". Session Laws of the State of Washington (1969 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature.
^Washington State Legislature (January 29, 1987). "Senate Bill 5413". Session Laws of the State of Washington (1987 ed.). Olympia, Washington: Washington State Legislature.