Auburn spotlights $13 million Auburn Way South rebuild and updates on 40 capital projects

At a March 24 Auburn City Council study session, city public works staff reviewed the city’s quarterly capital project status report and gave a detailed briefing on the Auburn Way South Corridor project, a reconstruction and safety upgrade with an approximate $13,000,000 budget.

The update matters because the city has 40 active capital projects across multiple departments and the Auburn Way South work will add lanes, sidewalks, transit pullouts and storm and water main upgrades along a heavily traveled corridor that serves schools, downtown Auburn and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe’s event center and casino.

“Currently, we have 40 active capital projects, totaling total project value of over a hundred and $30,000,000,” Tom Mount Larson, senior project engineer, told the council while introducing the capital projects status (CPS) report. He said 28 projects are in design and 12 are in construction. The CPS packet, he said, lists each project number, manager, estimated total cost, grant awards when applicable, and anticipated construction start and finish dates.

Jeffrey Bender, senior project engineer, led the Auburn Way South presentation. He said the corridor—between Hemlock Street on the west and Redwood Court on the east—lacks continuous sidewalks and crossings, has limited lighting and unimproved bus stops, and suffers congestion and serious-injury crashes. The project scope includes widening the roadway to a five-lane cross-section, installing sidewalks, curbs and gutters, adding intermittent center medians, realigning Poplar Street, upgrading storm drainage and water mains, providing street lighting, and constructing enhanced bus pullouts and a rapid rectangular flashing beacon (RRFB) at a mid-block crossing near apartments and bus stops.

Bender said the project was informed by a state route development plan prepared by the Washington State Department of Transportation and by a memorandum of understanding between the city and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe to coordinate nonmotorized network improvements along the corridor. He also said the corridor is designated in the city’s Comprehensive Safety Action Plan as a safety emphasis corridor because of prior serious-injury and fatal crashes.

City staff listed funding partners for Auburn Way South as Puget Sound Regional Council (federal) grants, Transportation Improvement Board grants, Public Works Trust Fund loans/grants, city funds, and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. Council member Trotman asked whether federal funds were secured; Bender replied that “all of the funding has been secured and received.” Council member Chuck Manuel asked how space for sidewalks would be acquired; Bender said a right-of-way consultant completed strip acquisitions during design so the city could obtain the needed area for sidewalks on both sides.

Construction scheduling and traffic impacts were discussed. Bender said the contractor planned to start on site the week of the presentation and that the project’s planned completion is in spring to early summer 2026. He said the contract requires the contractor to maintain one lane of travel in each direction and the two-way left-turn lane for business access; intermittent delays are possible for equipment moves but staff does not anticipate full lane closures. Council member Kate asked about traffic impacts and mitigation; staff described a staged, five- or six-stage approach beginning on the west end with temporary shifts of existing lanes.

The staff briefing also updated other active projects: the 2024 neighborhood improvements project (sidewalk gaps, lighting, traffic calming; a raised crosswalk is planned at M Street Southeast and 20th near Pioneer Elementary), Auburn Avenue Regional Growth Center access improvements (majority complete but awaiting long-lead items such as signal and lighting poles anticipated in September), the 2023–24 neighborhood traffic calming focus area (speed cushions, curb extensions, small traffic circles), a citywide uncontrolled crossing enhancements project with four sites and RRFBs (including a raised crosswalk at M Street Southeast and 30th near Gilda Ray Elementary), and downtown infrastructure and theater design updates. On the downtown project, staff said Main Street will need an extended closure to complete underground utilities and full roadway reconstruction; staff has been consulting downtown businesses and planned to advertise the project for bids the week of the presentation.

“On the theater side of things, we are finalizing the agreement, contract document agreements to begin the design process of the new theater,” Mount Larson said, adding the design was expected to begin in April. On downtown Main Street, staff said a closure of roughly three months this summer would be needed for the most intensive work, with additional work before and after that closure for procurement and long-lead equipment.

Staff also noted a recurring construction issue across projects: long lead times for traffic signal equipment and street lighting poles, which can run nine to 12 months after contractor order. For the Auburn Avenue project, staff said the poles were expected to arrive in September and the city tracks submittals and procurement closely.

The council did not take formal action on any project at the meeting; staff presented the CPS materials for information and project planning. Council members asked questions about funding, right-of-way acquisitions, start dates and traffic-control staging. City staff said they would continue to update council as projects move into construction.

The CPS report and interactive project map are available in the council packet and on the city’s capital projects web page.