Thursday, October 1, 2026
An updated design for the replacement of the 5th Avenue Bridge in Olympia was unveiled by a state agency earlier this week.
Washington State Department of Ecology project representatives and consultants presented the design to the Olympia Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee at a meeting on Wednesday, July 15.
The design features protected bicycle lanes, a separated pedestrian trail and traffic-calming elements intended to improve safety in the area.
The design also includes one vehicle lane in each direction, while adding protected bike lanes separated from traffic by a 3-foot buffer and a mountable concrete curb.
A 12-foot wide, shared-use trail on the south side of the bridge would provide space for pedestrians and recreational cyclists. The trail also includes viewing areas, benches, planters and interpretive displays overlooking the future Deschutes Estuary.
Emergency access ramps connecting the roadway to the trail would also be included for responders.
The bridge replacement is part of the 260-acre Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project, which aims to remove the Capitol Lake dam, dredge accumulated sediment, restore estuarine habitat, replace Marathon Park Bridge, and construct a berm to address future sea level rise.
Southwest Region Director Bobbak Talebi, who recently assumed leadership of the project for the Department of Ecology, described the effort as a “multi-benefit project” that combines habitat restoration, fish recovery, public safety improvements and climate resilience.
Earlier this year, the Washington Legislature provided funding to complete the final design and permitting through 2027. Ecology officials said they are working to advance as much of the 90 percent design as possible before lawmakers consider future construction funding.
Construction is anticipated to take five to six years. to complete.
Floyd|Snider Managing Principal Tessa Gardner-Brown, who is the consultant team’s project manager, said the bridge design reflects input gathered from a community sounding board, comprised of about 25 organizations representing bicycle advocates, accessibility organizations, environmental groups and other community interests.
Community members identified protected bicycle facilities, separation between bicyclists and pedestrians, trail connections, places to sit and enjoy views, and opportunities to incorporate history, art and ecological education as priorities.
Gardner-Brown said the design has also evolved through discussions with the City of Olympia and feedback from the governor’s office. She noted the city has requested involvement in planning future public art because it will assume ownership of the bridge after construction.
Talebi also said the project team has been directed to reduce expenses.
“One of the things the Legislature has honed in on is the costs of this project and trying to minimize the costs to just get restoration done,” he said.
As a result, Talebi said some features, including portions of the boardwalk included in earlier designs, are not advancing to the 90 percnet design phase unless non-state funding becomes available.
The project would replace the existing Y-shaped roadway connection west of the bridge with a roundabout linking 5th Avenue, Deschutes Parkway, and the roadway leading to the 4th Avenue roundabout.
Nathan Anderson, of consulting engineering firm KPFF in Seattle, said the bridge is being designed for a speed of 25 miles per hour. He said narrower travel lanes, protected bicycle facilities, a curbed median, the roundabout, lighting improvements and signage are intended to encourage slower driving and improve safety.
According to KPFF Project Engineer Scott Stainer, the new bridge’s alignment would allow most of the structure to be built separately from the existing bridge, enabling traffic to continue using the current crossing during much of the construction.
He added that only short-term closures would likely be needed to connect the new bridge.
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Wesley
" . . . to address future sea level rise." #LOL I thought we were done wasting money on that . . . .
Friday, July 17 Report this
CobraCommander
Wesley - Our current administration knows this is a threat. Read about it:
https://www.sustainability.gov/pdfs/dod-2024-cap.pdf
https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Infrastructure-and-Installation-Resilience/Planning-for-Changing-Sea-Levels/
https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/IF/HTML/IF12161.web.html
Also wise to read up on thermal expansion
Friday, July 17 Report this
PaulTheOak
What an exciting moment for Olympia! Although it seemed like a good idea a century ago, the time has come to return the the Mistake of a Lake to a vital living estuary. Something to make Olympia and the whole State proud!
Friday, July 17 Report this
Chris_R
Why not connect Deschutes Parkway directly to West Bay Drive, as shown, and simply eliminate the 5th Avenue bridge? No need to rebuild it in some manner, as traffic will flow on 4th. That would be a massive savings in terms of time and money.
Saturday, July 18 Report this
ThomasPain
Is there any local constituent more favored than the Urban Cyclist? This citizen is constantly having new infrastructure built for their needs. While rarely used, it certainly allows the community to exert some sort of control on a climate change issue that they otherwise can't address. A cathartic community expression that never needs an ROI to justify its glory to the greater good!
Saturday, July 18 Report this
Bobwubbena
Oh, what the heck. Someone else is paying for it???? One Billion and growing. Maybe we need a bicycle tax to help pay for this. Is anyone really paying attention to the total project--the Lake Clean Up, the Dam removal, the seawater rise, the New Zealand Mudd Snail migration into West Bay without a dam, the $200 million legacy pollution cleanup around the Port Peninsula, the rebuilding of Percival Landing to remove the creosote poles, the seawater rise design to protect the downtown, the $50 million cleanup associated with the City's proposed West Bay Park expansion. Oh yes, how about rehabilitation of the only natural Salmon Spawning stream in the Deschutes Watershed--Percival Creek. When will a comprehensive report be presented that includes all of the above. The Deschutes Estuary Project must address all of the above issues before Federal Permits can be issued to dredge and remove the dam.
Saturday, July 18 Report this
KarenM
While I am not anti-car, I find it difficult to understand how people who are car-centric can point to bicycles as a problem.
This whole bridge is about moving cars with some space for people to walk and cycle.
If we didn’t need to move cars, this whole bridge wouldn’t be needed.
About one third of us do not drive – for many different reasons. In our future some of us likely won’t be driving because we will have bad vision or some physical limitation.
Streets are for everyone. Bridges are for everyone.
Saturday, July 18 Report this
JulesJames
Such an excellent idea to reduce a four lane existing bridge down to two lanes so we can accomodate the special interest group of urban cyclists (who somehow never seem to be out urban cycling, unless they are hauling stolen stuff back to the Jungle).
Saturday, July 18 Report this
ThomasPain
@KarenM No one is arguing Bicyclists are a problem. People are arguing that the constant investment in Bicycle infrastructure does not match the actual use of Bicycle infrastructure. The only people who turn the argument into Cars vs. Bikes seem to be people like yourself trying to defend investment in Bike infrastructure. You stated another statistic about people who don't drive, but again, that is a red herring, as we should be measuring how often the bike infrastructure is used to justify its priority in every single road project in the city. We live in a climate where it rains daily for 6 months of the year. Is it realistic to invest limited infrastructure dollars establish a bike culture that currently does not exist here? Our descendants will find out.
Saturday, July 18 Report this
Person of Interest
“One of the things the Legislature has honed in on is the costs of this project and trying to minimize the costs to just get restoration done,” he said.
As a result, Talebi said some features, including portions of the boardwalk included in earlier designs, are not advancing to the 90 percent design phase unless non-state funding becomes available. “
Please see above from the article. Ultimately the legislature has to approve funding for this project. No one can tell you what the project will ultimately cost. Certain project components are on hold until “non state funding” is available. Is the legislature likely to approve a project that benefits one community in the state given the states overall finances? This may become a luxury project that is either built in small increments over decades or continually put on ice because of state budget short falls. If you were a legislator would you fund light rail to Tacoma, the Interstate Bridge to Portland etc or this project if there are limited funds?
Saturday, July 18 Report this
Boatyarddog
Wesley , Do you believe in King tides? Storm surges? HighWinds? These Common Phenomena all contribute to Sea level, in certain combinations, predictable sealevels, become unpredictable. We're NOT ever done with It, Climate Change is a constant possess, for Millions of years its been happening. Only FOOLS would debate that Fact. Thank You for showing us All More of who you are.
Monday, July 20 Report this
ViaLocal
it would make absolutely no sense to invest more in car infrastructure and put bicycles and pedestrians on the back burner because less people use them compared to driving cars. Isn't the point to make this space ready and available for future use, as we are all aware of the pollution that comes from cars in terms of climate change? It would be dumb to keep investing more money into putting more cars on the road when we know the pollution that causes. not to mention traffic. not to mention road rage because there are so many people in cars everywhere. use your brain and invest in building up different modes of transportation -- we will need them more in the future than the amount of people using them now. Having them readily available allows people to say, "hey, we've got bike lanes that safely transport us, maybe I'll ride my bike to the bus stop instead of sitting in traffic all day." Good job Olympia for seeing through the car centric thinking amongst Americans
Monday, July 20 Report this
Somney
Bike lanes help keep bikes out of the way of cars and reduce car driver frustration and improve safety. I bike often and go through downtown and not all cars appreciate having to share the road with a bike. I bike year round by choice to work for health.
Tuesday, July 21 Report this
Deanima
Bob Wubbena, you failed to mention the cost of subsidizing the dredging for the Olympia Yacht Club, and the costs of dredging that the Yacht Club did not pay for decades while the Lake acted as its sediment trap. Pure hypocrisy.
Tuesday, July 21 Report this