Shelton public works lays out six-year transportation priorities, flags major intersections for investment

Public Works Director Jay Harris presented Shelton's annual six-year Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) update at the May 26 study session, warning that projected growth will push several intersections from acceptable service into severe delay by 2045 unless the city and its partners advance capacity projects.

Harris reviewed 2024 peak-hour levels of service and a 2045 projection based on the adopted growth model. He said several locations ' including Wallace Nean at Shelton Springs Road, Front and Pine, and the Railroad Avenue/US-101 ramp ' show substantial deterioration in future delay (some modeled delays exceed two minutes per vehicle at peak hour). "If you do nothing, this is what happens," Harris said when explaining the 2045 projections; the presentation flagged roundabout and signal options, intersection upgrades and developer contributions to mitigate impacts.

The presentation outlined near-term priorities intended to be shovel-ready for grant opportunities: design funding already targeted for the Wallace Nean / Shelton Springs project (potentially a double roundabout), Franklin Street / Seventh Street bus-mall repairs and a North Shelton interchange upgrade on Olympic Highway North that Harris estimated could be in the tens of millions of dollars. Active-transportation projects also remain on the list, including Cross-Town Trail phase two (SR3 segment) and a pedestrian link across Canyon Creek connecting Capitol Hill with Olympic Heights.

Harris described funding mechanisms: traffic impact fees charged on new development, credits for developer-built collector roads (e.g., Satsup Avenue/Coffee Creek phases), targeted state grants (TIB and other programs) and periodic opportunities to reprogram the TIP. He cautioned that staff bandwidth limits how many grant-funded projects the city can manage at once and urged council to sequence work to avoid overcommitment of design and construction resources.

Council members asked staff about specific safety and crossing projects (a junior-high crossing flashing beacon, crosswalks at Mountain View School) and whether planned developments (Alpine Ridge/Olympic Heights phases) change intersection needs; staff said many designs and traffic reports are already incorporated in the TIP and that some developer efforts are eligible for impact-fee credit. Harris also received public expressions of appreciation from council for recent pavement-condition improvements and other downtown projects.

Harris said the TIP will be uploaded to the state website and a resolution to adopt an updated six-year project list will be prepared for council action; he invited council questions and noted staff would continue to pursue grant and design funding to keep projects shovel-ready.