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Thurston County public works seeks bids for multiple safety and habitat projects; agrees to WSDOT detour arrangement for Yelm Loop work
Summary
Public Works asked the board to call for sealed bids on several federally funded road-safety and electrical projects, pavement preservation and fish-passage construction and discussed a state detour agreement for the Yelm Loop Phase 2 project.
Thurston County Public Works asked the Board of County Commissioners for permission to call for sealed bids on several transportation and environmental construction projects and briefed commissioners on a detour agreement with the Washington State Department of Transportation for the forthcoming Yelm Loop Phase 2 project.
Public Works Engineer Matt Huntsman described several items the department plans to bid as combined or single contracts. The requests included: (1) a combined contract for the 2024 Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) County Road Safety Project and a Countywide Electrical Services Project (road safety countermeasures, guardrail, rumble strips, signage, speed feedback signs and street lights); (2) the 2025 pavement-preservation supplemental overlay for Old Highway 9 (estimated cost $600,000); (3) a fish‑passage replacement at Sean Drive SW, removing a 3‑foot culvert and installing a 33‑foot prefabricated steel bridge to open about 1.7 miles of upstream habitat (estimated construction cost about $1,100,900, with $926,000 identified from the Department of Ecology streamflow restoration program and other state funds); and (4) an RFP for environmental-mitigation site maintenance services across county mitigation sites (estimated five‑year total $500,000, locally funded).
Huntsman said the combined HSIP/electrical package totals an estimated $3,913,000, leveraged by approximately $3,778,000 in federal funds. He said bidding both projects together would produce efficiencies for contractors and project management; WSDOT has approved combining the federally funded projects for bidding.
Commissioners praised the department’s project planning and prefabrication approach that shortens construction time and reduces disruption. Several board members remarked on positive contractor feedback about working with Thurston County and on a recent public-works tour that showed departmental capacity and readiness.
Public Works also described a detour-agreement draft with WSDOT for the Yelm Loop Phase 2 work. Under the draft, WSDOT will be responsible for maintenance and repairs to county roads used for the detour and will fund repairs to affected county‑owned segments (including portions of Canal Road, Grove Road, Plume Road and 100th Avenue). The detour agreement’s end date anticipates possible delays, with an expiration into 2029 to allow for unforeseen circumstances; construction is expected to begin in summer or fall of the year and to run through early 2029, according to staff estimates.
Public Works staff cautioned the board that the county will not proceed with construction on related county projects unless the county receives the anticipated state funding or the board explicitly directs county funds to cover any state funding shortfall. Commissioners requested ongoing updates about budget and schedule as state funding developments evolve.
No formal roll-call votes were recorded on the agenda-setting items; staff asked for and received permission from the board to move the bid and agreement items forward for advertisement and further action on the upcoming consent calendar.
