Draft transportation program up for review by Thurston Regional Planning Council  

The Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) is going to review a draft, four-year transportation improvement program at its meeting on Friday, Sept. 5.  

The TRPC is also accepting public comments through Sept. 12 on the draft Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP), which includes projects spanning transit, safety and multi-modal improvements throughout the county. 

The RTIP serves as a funding pipeline, identifying transportation projects that will be forwarded to the state for inclusion in the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). Without RTIP inclusion, federally funded projects cannot access their awarded funding, making the document essential for local transportation development.  

“The RTIP includes a wide range of transportation projects throughout Thurston County, including transit, multi-modal, safety, efficiency, and maintenance, identifying improvements which benefit everyone,” according to planning documents.  

Projects in the RTIP are organized into four phases: planning, preliminary engineering and design, right-of-way acquisition and construction. They range from major, regionally significant improvements that influence travel patterns across large areas to essential local investments, such as pavement preservation, intersection efficiency upgrades, sidewalk infill and bike lane additions.  

 Some of the proposed projects include: 

• Intercity Transit – Purchase of 14 buses for Dial-A-Lift Service.  

• College Street Corridor Improvements Phase 3 – The roadway will be widened to include a planter center median, auxiliary left turn lanes, sidewalks, urban amenities and a traffic control roundabout at 16th Avenue SE.  

• Martin Way Corridor Project - This project is to design improvements, including roundabouts, sidewalks on both sides of the street, enhanced crosswalks, enhanced bike lanes, access control, and possibly business access and transit lanes. 

• Martin Way Pedestrian Safety Improvements - This priority project from Olympia’s Street Safety Plan includes median islands, mid-block crossings with refuge islands, a flashing beacon system, updated sidewalks and curb ramps, and a bus island with a raised and separated bike lane.  

• Chehalis Western Trail Preservation Phase 1 - The project is for major resurfacing and reconstruction of existing pavement surfaces on the Chehalis Western Trail.  

• Constructing roundabouts at several locations to improve traffic flow and safety.  

The RTIP draws from the six-year Transportation Improvement Programs developed annually by local jurisdictions and the Washington State Department of Transportation. As the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Thurston region, TRPC coordinates this regional approach to transportation planning.  

Public input encouraged 

While local agencies held public hearings earlier this year on individual transportation improvement programs, TRPC is encouraging additional public review and comment on the consolidated regional program.  

 Written comments may be submitted to Theressa Julius of TRPC to juliust@trpc.orgor FAX at (360) 956-7815. Comments should be received by 5 p.m., Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. 

 The document is available free of charge at www.trpc.org/RTIPdraftor by request to TRPC at 2411 Chandler Court SW, Olympia, WA 98502 or via phone at (360) 956-7575.