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Tumwater committee sends HDR amendment for Tumwater Boulevard interchange to council consent calendar; one member abstains
Summary
The Tumwater Public Works Committee referred Amendment No. 1 to its service provider agreement with HDR Engineering — a $113,000 addition that brings total design costs to about $929,000 — to the Jan. 20 City Council consent calendar. One member abstained, citing a financial relationship with HDR.
The Tumwater Public Works Committee on Jan. 8 voted to place Amendment No. 1 to the city’s service provider agreement with HDR Engineering on the Jan. 20, 2026, City Council consent calendar with a recommendation that the council authorize the mayor to sign.
Ryan Blazer, a transportation engineer with the city, told the committee the amendment covers a portion of Phase 2 design work for the Tumwater Boulevard/I‑5 interchange project, including a topographic survey and completion of 30% design documents for the southbound intersection. "This amendment ... is $113,000, and the total of that is $929,000 and change," Blazer said, and he said the work is expected to be funded from the city’s transportation Capital Facilities Plan.
Blazer described the larger project as a multi‑phase effort: Phase 1 — the northbound interchange — is already under design; Phase 2 (the subject of the amendment) focuses on southbound intersection improvements and right‑of‑way issues near pending development; Phase 3 would involve future bridge widening. Blazer said Phase 1 design is expected to be finished around mid‑2026, with construction for that phase possibly starting "end of the year or early 2027." He added coordination with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will continue and can extend the schedule.
Committee members asked for location context and Blazer walked through a map showing Tumwater Boulevard, City Hall and nearby hotels to orient members to the interchange and adjacent development that is driving the need to clarify right‑of‑way and design constraints ahead of final design.
When the committee moved to refer the amendment to the council consent calendar, one member announced an abstention. "I should have communicated in advance. I'm going to abstain because of my day job having a, financial relationship historically with HDR and potentially in the future," the member said. The committee proceeded to place the amendment on the Jan. 20 consent agenda with the abstention noted; no roll‑call vote tally was recorded in the committee transcript.
The committee also approved minutes from its Dec. 4, 2025 meeting by voice vote earlier in the session.
Next steps: the amendment will appear on the Jan. 20 City Council consent calendar for formal council action; the committee’s referral carries a recommendation to approve and authorize the mayor to sign.
