This $14 million plan will bring protected bike lanes to Capitol Way in Olympia
The City of Olympia has plans to reconfigure the Capitol Way Corridor to reduce speeding in the area and make the neighborhood more accessible to all modes of transportation. Senior Engineer Joey Jones provided more details on the city’s plans during an open house earlier this month.
Nothing has changed in the way of cost or timeline for construction, however. Jones said the estimated cost to reduce and reconfigure lanes, and to add protected bike lanes throughout the corridor, is about $14 million. And the timeline for construction is heavily dependent on the city’s success with grant applications, he said. The goal is still to begin construction around 2028.
Jones said in his Dec. 4 presentation at the open house that the project will run from Olympia’s border with Tumwater, which is at Carlyon Avenue, and extend north to the intersection of Capitol Way and Union Avenue. He said the city is pursuing a lane reallocation for the entire length of the project.
He said the plan is to reduce the number of vehicle lanes from four, or two in each direction, down to three, or one in each direction with a center turn lane and left turn pockets where necessary. Fewer lanes would make room for additional bike lanes along the entire length of the project.
Jones said the city is also looking at bus stop and crossing improvements.
“We have run an analysis using a traffic model that indicates the lane reallocation can accommodate the current as well as future traffic volume predictions,” he said. “We do expect a little more delay at intersections during the afternoon peak hour, with the intersection at 14th being the most likely to experience congestion.”
Jones said the project comes from the city’s Transportation Master Plan, which outlines a need for bike lanes in that area of Olympia. And it pairs well with a street resurfacing project, Jones said.
“We are at the point now where Capitol Way from 25th to Union is ready for an asphalt overlay,” Jones said. “This gives us the needed blank slate to better implement the lane reallocation.”
Project details
Jones said there’s room from Carlyon Avenue to 25th Avenue for enhanced bike lanes that will have some sort of vertical separation component between cyclists and drivers. He said this would include a two-way separated bike lane between O’Farrell Avenue and Washington Street.
Between 25th and 18th, Jones said there will be conventional bike lanes with a three-lane vehicle section. The bike lanes will be expanded to have 4 feet of clearance from cars. He said from 18th to Union, there will be enhanced bike lanes, with those near the Capitol Campus being separated by parking stalls.
“Other improvements include crossing enhancements at O’Farrell, Washington and 24th,” Jones said. “These would include transition treatments for the two-way separated bike lane and also improvements at the curb for the transition from Capitol Way to Capitol Boulevard.”
Lastly, he said there will be in-lane bus stop improvements along the corridor at O’Farrell, 21st and Maple Park Avenue.
For more details you can watch Jones’ presentation on the city’s website.
Cost and timeline
Jones said the preliminary estimate for all the changes is around $14 million. That includes all project-related costs, such as design, construction and other labor. He said the 2026 preliminary Capital Facilities Plan has $4 million in local funds earmarked for the project, with the other $10 million being covered by grants.
He said this project needs a funding package, and the city will be pursuing both state and federal funding for the construction phase of the project.
Jones said the city is in the concept phase and is seeking input from different partners, including Tumwater, Intercity Transit and the Department of Enterprise Services, for the segment of the project that runs through the Capitol Campus.
“We hope to have a finalized concept by the end of this year or early next year, so that official design can kick off in the first or second quarter of 2026,” Jones said. “Once we get into design, we will work on applying for grants to fund construction.”
He said depending on how successful the city is with grant applications, construction would ideally begin in 2028 and wrap up in 2030.
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