One of Olympia’s best known traffic shortcuts is getting an upgrade. Here’s the plan
If you attend The Evergreen State College or live on the city’s west side, chances are you know this route to downtown Olympia that avoids the intersection at Division Street and Harrison Avenue.
This route involves turning onto Elliott Avenue at the Handy Pantry, hanging a right onto Crestline Boulevard and then admiring the amazing view of Budd Inlet for just a moment before you veer right and drive down the hill to West Bay Drive.
Although a convenient route, the first leg of that trip — Elliott Avenue — is not pedestrian friendly.
The street is narrow and there’s almost no shoulder to walk on, but that’s about to change after Olympia City Council on Tuesday awarded a $988,000 design contract to a business called Skillings Inc.
They will design the sidewalk, bike lane and other amenities for the north side of the street, according to city information.
This project has been in the works a long time. The city identified a need for a sidewalk on Elliott Avenue in 2003, then it was added to a list of projects after voters approved utility tax funding for it in 2004.
“This has been heavily requested by our community members, and so we’re excited,” said Public Works Director Mark Russell at Tuesday’s council meeting. “As I said, it’s been in the plan since 2004 and we’ve finally been able to pull together the planning and the money at the same time to build this project.”
Ultimately, the construction will roll out in phases, according to a city webpage. It will begin with a sidewalk and separated bike lane on Elliott Avenue between Bing Court and Crestline Boulevard.
“The preliminary design includes a new sidewalk, a separated bike lane in the uphill direction with shared lane markings in the downhill travel lane, updated curb ramps, new street markings, and marked crosswalks,” the city information reads.
“The city will also replace the water main during construction of this project and improve stormwater management. Depending on the extent of the water main construction, we may also need to resurface Elliott Avenue. If we do, we will also reinstall the speed humps.”
The sidewalk between Division Street and Bing Court will come later, according to the city.
“Until environmental concerns with old, underground oil tanks in the vicinity of the intersection can be addressed, any improvements near the intersection will be delayed,” the city information reads.
The design and permitting phase of the project is expected to last until fall 2026, with construction starting in early 2027.
“We both have a very intentional process of planning for road improvements and sidewalk improvements around the city,” said council member Clark Gilman on Tuesday.
“We have a master plan for transportation, and at the same time, it’s important that we listen to and acknowledge neighborhood concerns, because the feet on the ground and the eyes on the street often know what’s going on, and so in this case, we’re getting to a project that’s been long demanded by that neighborhood.”
This story was originally published July 9, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
