Thurston Regional Planning Council to discuss Regional Transportation Plan 2050

The public is about to get a chance to review a draft of the Regional Transportation Plan 2050 for Thurston County.

The plan, which serves as a blueprint for the future of the region’s transportation system, will be a topic of discussion at the Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, April 4.

TRPC Transportation Manager Katrina Van Every is scheduled to make a brief presentation of the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) at the meeting, followed by a short discussion with the council.

The plan will then head to the Transportation Policy Board (TPB), which is expected to consider a release date for the draft blueprint at a meeting on April 9.

“Provided the TPB recommends releasing the draft, the public comment period would begin April 11, 2025, and extend until May 9, 2025,” the TRPC said in a memorandum.

“To facilitate review of and comment on the RTP, staff is finalizing an online open house, which will be made available for the duration of the public comment period. The draft will also be posted on the Thurston Regional Planning Council’s website.”

Staff will update the draft once the public comment period sunsets based on the feedback received, and later review comments and proposed changes with the Technical Advisory Committee, TPB and TRPC. 

The plan is required to be updated every five years in alignment with federal and state requirements.

“It looks 25 years into the future, planning for population and employment growth, environmental stability, climate change, and the range of community transportation needs,” states a description of the plan.

The plan anticipates that Thurston County will have at least 106,000 more residents by 2050, which would be a 36 percent increase over 2022, and at least 58,000 more housing units, which would be a 47 percent increase over 2022.

The plan also anticipates at least 52,000 more jobs, which would be a 32 percent increase over 2022, and at least 52,000 people living near transit, which would be a 26 percent increase over 2022.