Treacherous State and Pacific intersection to get safety improvements in upcoming project
The City of Olympia is planning to address a problem intersection that has been the site of a number of crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists.
The triangular-shaped connection at Pacific and State avenues has been identified as a “Safety Site Location,” meaning it’s along a Tier 1 Safety Corridor and two or more pedestrians or cyclists were struck by drivers during the 2018 to 2022 analysis period.
According to the city, State and Pacific avenues are due for pavement maintenance, or chip-sealing, and so the city is taking the opportunity to reconfigure the streets while chipsealing them. The project will create more space for people walking, bicycling or riding the bus.
The construction will be focused on the area between Sawyer and Fir streets.
The downside? More space for travelers will come with less on-street parking in the area.
The work will happen in three phases, according to the city. First, larger, raised concrete islands will be installed between the two roads. Sidewalks and temporary striping also will be done in the first phase. The roads will be resurfaced, then permanent stripes will be added.
The city also plans to install separated bike lanes down State Avenue. Cyclists will be separated from traffic by parking stalls. Parking will be removed on the south side of State and Pacific avenues between Sawyer and Fir streets to make room for the separated bike lanes.
Having the improved bike lanes will contribute to the city’s plans to have a low-stress bike network throughout Olympia, a goal identified in the city’s Transportation Master Plan.
The improved pedestrian islands will help shorten the distance for pedestrians crossing the street, which reduces the time they’re exposed to oncoming traffic. There also will be in-lane passenger boarding at Intercity Transit bus stops.
Conducting all of this work together will help reduce project costs, according to the city. The first phase of sidewalk and concrete island construction is estimated to cost $1.6 million, funded through the Transportation Benefit District sales tax.
The second phase of the project, the resurfacing and restriping, will be done as part of a larger repair project across Olympia that is estimated to cost $2.34 million. It’s funded by a National Highway System federal grant and Transportation Benefit District license fees.
Construction is slated to begin later this year, and all parts of the project are expected to be finished by 2026.
Project Manager Randy Wesselman said the schedule for construction has been pushed to the fall, and depending on weather, may not start until the spring of 2026. The striping work is weather dependent.
This story was originally published June 13, 2025 at 12:13 PM.
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