Expect delays at Olympia intersection as part of $1.6 million project downtown
People traveling through downtown Olympia can expect more traffic delays at Fourth Avenue and Plum Street starting Thursday.
A contractor will begin upgrading the traffic signal at the busy intersection from 4 p.m. Thursday and into the night, according to a city of Olympia news release.
To do so, the contractor will pull wire, install pedestrian signal poles and push-button poles and excavate conduit connections, per the release. If necessary, the contractor will return to finish the signal upgrade overnight Monday through Tuesday. Additionally, the city warns that the sidewalk on the south side of Fourth Avenue, just west of Plum Street, will be closed for nighttime construction from Monday to Wednesday. The contractor is scheduled to remove and repair a section of the sidewalk, per the release.
All this work is part of a $1.6 million project intended to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety at the intersection. Several collisions involving pedestrians spurred the city to identify the intersection as an area of concern in its Street Safety Plan.
The new changes, some of which have already been implemented, include a separated bike lane, curb bulb-outs, sidewalk repairs, new street markings, upgraded curb ramps, accessible pedestrian signals and a hardened centerline on the nearby East Bay Drive.
To make room for these improvements, the city has removed the right turn lane from Fourth Avenue. The city admits this change may worsen traffic congestion at the intersection during peak travel times.
“In making these changes, we are prioritizing safety, especially of pedestrians and bicyclists, and accepting an increase in congestion,” the project website says.
The city is using a nearly $1.3 million Pedestrian and Bicycle Program grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation to pay for a majority of the $1.6 million project, according to the project website.
The project is supported with funding derived from the state’s Climate Commitment Act, a 2021 law that created a greenhouse gas emission cap-and-invest program.
This act is intended to reduce such emissions while raising revenue for projects that improve clean transportation options, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology’s website.
