Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
Despite bidding for the Yelm Loop project being postponed from last winter into this spring, those familiar with the project still anticipate it going to construction in the summer of 2026.
Cody Colt, Yelm public works director, told the Nisqually Valley News that plans for the long-awaited Yelm Loop project are 100% done. He said bids for the project were supposed to go out in late 2025, but were delayed when right-of-way acquisition took longer than anticipated.
“The plans are done. It’s still going to construction this summer,” Colt said. “They just had to move the bid to the spring because of right-of-way acquisition. There’s a couple more properties they have to get a little more right-of-way from and it took a little longer than they thought. The construction timeline has not changed though.”
Additionally, Colt said the Yelm Loop project will begin at the intersection of Walmart Boulevard and State Route 507 with the installation of a roundabout. A second roundabout will be constructed further north from that intersection at Walmart Boulevard and 104rd St SE.
“I would expect mid-to-late summer seeing quite a bit of activity around Walmart with that roundabout being the first thing they do,” Colt said. “After that, they’ll move to the rest of the bypass which is off the main path and shouldn’t impact traffic too much — just certain intersections here and there.”
Colt added that WSDOT claims the roundabouts will take roughly a year to construct. He noted the beginning of the Yelm Loop project will coincide with the City of Yelm’s installation of a roundabout at the intersection of SR 507 and Bald Hill Road.
“It’s going to be an interesting construction timeline around Yelm with that bypass and our roundabouts and other projects happening,” he said. “Traffic is going to get worse in Yelm, but it will get better. We’re going to have to go through this construction phase together over this next year and a half, and then traffic will be significantly better with new roundabouts and more roadways to get around.
“There will be different traffic controls around there. You can expect in the spring or summer of 2027 that those roundabouts will be done,” Colt continued. “After that, they’ll start working off the end of Cullins Road, where the bypass currently ends. They’ll start expanding that down to Wilkinson and Canal. Wilkinson, which is over by the Nisqually Pines, will turn into a roundabout and continue to Rhoton — which will be a four way stop. You’ll see some of those intersections will change.”
Residents of Yelm and surrounding cities — including Colt — have long been skeptical about the completion of the Yelm Loop project actually coming to fruition. His faith in construction beginning this summer is rooted in the fact that plans are complete and utility lines have been moved.
“The one thing is we have 100% plans. The plans are finished. That has never happened before. They’ve already started working in terms of moving utilities. They’ve been out doing geoengineering for stormwater. Those things have never happened before, so that should give you a good sign that this project is going to happen,” Colt said. “I’ve been in the same boat. I’ve lived here and have been told that the bypass is coming for the last 30 years. I have that same tentative excitement because I always see how things go. But we’ve never been to the point we’re at now. I think it’s safe to say that we’re going to go to construction next year.”
Additionally, Colt knows that the Washington state budget is something that is always in contention. But has a similarly rooted faith in the budget staying on track for a 2026 construction of the loop.
“The state budget is something that is always in contention, but the fact that the project is designed and ready to build means it’s probably safe in the state’s budget,” Colt said. “They normally will not stop a budget that’s ready to build. They will stop projects in planning phases, but not when it’s ready to build. I think everything is lining up and good to go.”
