Olympia council studies draft 'Olympia 2045' transportation chapter, emphasizes multimodal priority

Michelle Swanson, senior planner in Public Works — Transportation, briefed the Olympia City Council on the fourth draft of the transportation chapter of the Olympia 2045 comprehensive plan, saying the update is being done chapter by chapter and that staff intend to return later this year for acceptance and then for full-plan adoption before year-end.

Swanson said the chapter integrates the Transportation Master Plan adopted in 2021 and that it now prioritizes “walking, rolling, biking, and taking transit over driving,” reflecting public and advisory‑committee input. She also noted new state requirements: multimodal performance metrics and inclusion of an ADA transition plan in an appendix, and that the Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) issued provisional consistency certification pending finalization of the land use chapter.

Council members praised the draft’s shift away from car-centric language and asked detailed policy and implementation questions. Council Member Susan Madrone said the city…