County Awarded Half Million in Transportation Safety Grants

The traffic circle at Yelm Highway and Boulevard are interesting additions to the vehicle landscape.
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Submitted by Thurston County

Thurston County Public Works announced today that the department was awarded nearly half a million dollars in Federal Highway Safety Improvement grant funds that will help the county complete three road safety projects and a countywide road safety plan.

“We are very pleased to receive these grants. These federal funds will go a long way towards completing some important projects that will improve road safety throughout our entire transportation system,” said Ramiro Chavez, Thurston County Public Works Director.

Thurston County received a total of $495,200 in federal grants—$315,200 in federal grants will help fund shoulder rumble strips, traffic signal enhancements, and new or upgraded signs on roads throughout Thurston County. Public Works staff expect the design of those three safety projects to begin later this summer, and construction contracts for each of the projects to be awarded sometime in mid-2016. Staff expect the three safety projects to be complete by the end of 2017.

The remaining $180,000 in federal money will be used to complete a Local Road Safety Plan that will help guide future safety investments throughout the county. Work on the plan is expected to start later this year and be completed in 2016.

  • Countywide Signing Upgrades—new or upgraded signs installed at more than 20 road curves throughout the county. $141,000 in Federal Highway Safety Improvement funds; $4,000 in county road funds.
  • Shoulder Rumble Strips—new shoulder rumble strips installed on a six-mile section of Steamboat Island Road NW. $102,600 in Federal Highway Safety Improvement funds; $2,400 in county road funds.
  • Traffic Signal Enhancements—add left turn display signals, flashing yellow-arrow signals, and updated signal controller components at the intersection of Mud Bay Road NW and Delphi Road NW. $71,000 in Federal Highway Safety Improvement funds; $1,000 in county road funds.
  • Thurston County Local Road Safety Plan—Public Works staff will develop a countywide plan to help guide future safety investments in the county’s road system. Similar road safety plans have been developed and used by a variety of local agencies throughout the U.S. to target needed safety improvements. $180,000 in Federal Highway Safety Improvement funds; $20,000 in county road funds.

Thurston County is among 29 counties across Washington that will receive a total of more than $25.8 million in federal highway safety funds, according to a January announcement by the Washington State Department of Transportation.

For more about current transportation projects, road conditions, contractor information, and other information about the county’s Public Works Department, visit www.co.thurston.wa.us/publicworks. To track current road conditions, flooded road alerts, and road and bridge closure alerts, follow the Public Works Department Twitter feed on @Thurston_PW.

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