76 Shares

Submitted by City of Yelm

The City of Yelm was awarded a $300,000 grant through the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) to construct a sidewalk along Mill Road, eliminating a gap in our sidewalk system and better connecting dozens of nearby homes to Mill Pond Elementary and Ridgeline Middle School.

City of Yelm Fort Stevens
Recent sidewalk improvements made near Fort Stevens Elementary. Photo courtesy: City of Yelm

“This is a great example of the diligence and persistence we have as a City. We are constantly reaching out to state agencies to bring taxpayer dollars back to Yelm, which allows us to complete projects that we couldn’t have accomplished on our own, ”Mayor JW Foster said.

The TIB awarded $100.3 million for 138 street and sidewalk improvement grants to agencies across Washington state.

The existing roadway, although it does not currently offer any protection from vehicles, is a popular route for nearby students living near both schools. The Mill Road sidewalk project, along with many other recent projects, including the Fort Stevens Sidewalk project is consistent with our objective to increase safety and connectivity for all travelers.

The project is listed in the six-year Capital Improvement Program, and the design phase was accounted for in the Road and Street Construction Fund, included in the Council-approved 2019-2020 budget.

The new-ADA compliant sidewalk will be 6-feet-wide and run approximately 1,130-feet in length between 104th Way Southeast to the intersection of 107th Loop Southeast. The project will also include a planter strip, vertical curb and gutter, lighting, and crossing enhancements to improve visibility and overall safety through the corridor.

The City Council unanimously authorized Mayor Foster to sign a $90,000 design agreement last August and is scheduled to be complete in the summer of 2020. The total projected cost of the new sidewalk is $710,000 with $410,000 coming from local funds.

“This is such an important project for our students who walk to school and one that we have all wanted to see come to fruition for a long time,” Foster said. “We needed to get this done for the safety of our students.”

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
76 Shares