The Olympia Public Works Department is initiating an exciting “value planning” exercise with Evergreen’s Center for Sustainable Infrastructure (ECSI) to set the stage for a transportation corridor study expected to begin in the first quarter of 2017.

The Fones Road corridor in east Olympia is failing to meet the transportation levels of service established by the City of Olympia.  Early estimates suggest that the cost of the standard road-widening and street improvement response could exceed $15 million.

The purpose of the value planning exercise will be to identify alternative approaches that affordably meet the need for multi-modal transportation throughout the corridor, in ways that better serve the City’s climate, economic development, livability, and other comprehensive plan goals.

Value planning exercises are especially recommended for projects like Fones Road that have the potential to impact a broad range of City priorities, including compliance with growth management, multi-modal mobility, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and climate mitigation and adaptation policies.  This value planning process will develop a range of options that also include consideration of improvements to regional trail connections, open space, stormwater, and economic development. Rhys Roth, Director, ESCI