Runners, cyclists and dog-walkers who use the Chehalis Western Trail will hit detours starting in October when a $2.24 million repaving project shuts down mile-long stretches of the popular path on weekdays.

Thurston County Public Works plans to resurface about eight miles of the 22-mile trail, which runs north-south from Woodard Bay to Vail in southeast Thurston County, passing through Olympia and Lacey. The closures will roll between Yelm Highway SE and Woodard Bay Road NE, according to the county's official trail page.

The work addresses years of wear and tear on the paved surface. Thurston County Public Works posted on X on Aug. 10 that the project aims to give trail users a smoother surface for riding, walking or running.

The trail is the longest shared-use path in Thurston County and one of the most heavily traveled. An estimated 351,000 people used it in 2015, the most recent count available. It is flat, paved and wheelchair accessible for most of its length, connecting to the 14.5-mile Yelm-Rainier-Tenino Trail and the 4.7-mile Karen Fraser Woodland Trail.

The project will use one-mile rolling closures on weekdays, meaning trail users can expect short sections blocked off at a time rather than a full shutdown. Weekend access was not addressed in available project details.

No end date has been set.

Trail users heading out between Yelm Highway SE and Woodard Bay Road NE starting in October can check the Thurston County Public Works website or social media channels for real-time closure locations.