The public comment window on 21 Thurston County transportation projects closes at 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, setting the stage for the Thurston Regional Planning Council to decide which proposals get a share of federal grant money.
Twenty-one proposals are in play.
Olympia's $3.195 million Capitol Way redesign, Tumwater's $3.2 million Brewery Park trail connection and a $5.164 million roundabout at the county's highest-crash intersection are among the projects now awaiting TRPC's funding recommendations. TRPC estimates about $17.24 million is available across three federal programs, according to The Jolt. TRPC's own Aug. 13 statement put the combined federal and non-federal total at about $16.1 million.
The two-week comment period, which opened Aug. 3, invited residents to weigh in through an interactive Story Map or by emailing TRPC planning manager Paul Brewster. TRPC runs the competitive grant cycle every two years, distributing federal dollars from three programs: the Surface Transportation Block Grant, the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program and the Rural Community Support Program.
In an Aug. 13 post on its official Facebook page, TRPC said it had received proposals "ranging from constructing roundabouts or crosswalks, to replacing Dial-a-Lift vehicles or funding educational programs."
What's at stake for Olympia
The city's Capitol Corridor Phase 2 proposal would reconfigure Capitol Way between 25th Avenue SE and Union Avenue SE to reduce speeding, improve safety and add better walking, biking and transit access. The $3.195 million request draws from both STBG and CMAQ funds. A separate $1.2 million pedestrian bridge reconstruction project on the Capitol Campus corridor began Aug. 10 and runs through mid-October.
What's at stake for Tumwater
Tumwater's Deschutes Valley Trail Segment A2 would build a 10-foot-wide paved multi-use trail connecting Brewery Park to E Street. The $3.2 million project aims to link existing and planned trail segments, creating a safer route between parks and neighboring communities.
The biggest single request
Thurston County's $5.164 million proposal targets the Meridian Road SE and Mullen Road SE intersection, described as the county's highest-crash intersection. The project would fund design of a new roundabout to improve safety, traffic flow and accessibility.
The county also submitted a $3.315 million request to replace the aging Tilley Road Bridge over Beaver Creek with a new concrete bridge.
Other applicants
Intercity Transit put forward four proposals, including cloud-based transit signal priority technology, a West Olympia Transit Center study, its Walk N Roll pedestrian education program and contingency funding for replacement Dial-A-Lift vehicles.
Smaller communities including the Nisqually Indian Tribe, Bucoda, Rainier and Tenino submitted proposals ranging from road preservation and stormwater improvements to pedestrian safety projects and sidewalk construction.
What happens next
TRPC will review the public feedback as part of its evaluation before recommending which projects receive funding. The council's Technical Advisory Committee meets next on Thursday, Aug. 20, according to the Aug. 6 TAC agenda. No date has been publicly announced for final funding recommendations.
