Why has busy Olympia intersection been a flashing four-way stop? City has update

The traffic light at Capitol Way and Fourth Avenue in downtown Olympia is back up and running after a car crashed into the traffic signal pole last week, Traffic Operations Supervisor Sarah Greene told The Olympian on June 30.

According to previous reporting from The Olympian, the intersection was closed for repairs for about a day following the car crash on June 22. The signal pole tipped over and landed on a nearby building. The vehicle also hit the signal box, attached to the pole, which disabled all four traffic lights.

The intersection was reopened the following afternoon as a red flashing four-way stop. The city announced on June 23 that repairs were expected to be fully completed by June 25.

Greene said in an email that programming the new signal cabinet took a little longer than originally anticipated. As of Tuesday afternoon, she said the signal is functioning as a regular traffic light again, not a flashing four-way stop.

Ty Vinson

The Olympian

360-357-0201

Ty Vinson covers the City of Olympia and keeps tabs on Tumwater and other communities in Thurston County. He joined The Olympian in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at the Northwest Indiana Times, the Oregonian and the Arizona Republic as a Pulliam Fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription