Full funding for Yelm Loop and roundabouts included on final budget on last day of Legislative session

On sine die, the last day of the Legislative session in Washington state, a major victory was achieved for the City of Yelm, its residents and those who commute through the region.

State Rep. Andrew Barkis, R-Olympia, and Yelm Mayor Joe DePinto took to Facebook on Sunday, April 27, to announce full funding for the Yelm Loop, also known as the Yelm bypass, and critical roundabouts were included in the final proposed transportation budget for the 2025-27 biennium.

“The budget we will vote on here in a couple of hours includes fully funding the Yelm Loop and completing that project finally. It could go out to bid and construction could start as early as this fall if we get everything lined up. I think this is a critical, critical step,” Barkis said. “We are ready. All the environmental is done. The work with the Nisqually Tribe is done. Everything is ready to go there.”

In addition to potentially starting construction as early as this fall, Barkis said construction for critical roundabouts could begin in early 2026.

“I’m just happy to report this news. It has been a grind to get here today. I appreciate you, Joe (DePinto), coming up here a lot and being in my ear, bringing people up and helping with conversations that were so critical to advocate for this critical project,” Barkis said. “It’s a good day once we get that done. Let’s get things moving in Yelm and get these projects done once and for all.”

DePinto later told the Nisqually Valley News there was a real possibility that funding for the Yelm Loop and critical roundabouts could’ve been pushed back yet again. According to the mayor, there was one Senate budget that didn’t include any funding for the Yelm Loop and roundabouts, and another that included funding for both projects.

He added that the Washington state House of Representatives also had a proposed budget with funding for just the Yelm Loop, but no money for any of the proposed roundabout projects in Yelm and Pierce County in Roy.

“I’ve been fighting, chatting with legislators in the House and the Senate to ensure we get full funding for both. In the past, we’ve had funding but it’s been delayed. They delay it. Each year, during the legislative session, they have the authority to do it,” DePinto said. “People are wondering, ‘well it’s been funded. Why aren’t they building it?’ Well that’s because it’s been delayed. The Legislature kicks it down to save money during the current biennium and they push it out.”

When DePinto first took office in 2021, he said the Yelm Loop project was pushed beyond 2030 — as proposed by former Gov. Jay Inslee. The mayor has prioritized transportation throughout his tenure.

“We had to fight to get it back to the current schedule it’s at now,” DePinto said on Sunday, April 27. “So, today, after the compromised budget, which includes members from the Senate and the House, the transportation committee, their ranking member as well as the vice chair and the chair — two Democrats and one Republican on each side — they negotiate a deal.”

DePinto said there are projects all across the state that are up for funding, but also losing out on money for projects.

“There’s a lot of important projects. But obviously for us, the most important is Yelm,” DePinto said. “Yesterday, they came out with a compromised package that’s either being voted on right now or will be voted on in a little bit. It basically says full funding and same timeline for the Yelm projects. That’s huge for us. We’re going to go to bid for construction this year for the Yelm loop, and we’ll go to bid for construction early next year for the Yelm roundabouts. Both projects will be completed by 2027.

“This is the one single thing that drives me: to make sure we get transportation projects completed. The broken promises over decades and decades saying ‘we’re going to get something done.’ It’s such an honor for me and such a privilege to bring these projects to fruition,” he continued. “To complete these projects, it’s why I’m mayor, to make sure these projects get done. I did think this was going to get done. I thought it should’ve been done sooner, but there’s so many variables that people don’t understand, and rightfully so.”

DePinto said there have been a lot of moving parts in the state Legislature throughout the years leading up to the project getting to this point. The project also had to be compliant with WSDOT permits and environmental studies, and it needed a signature from the Nisqually Indian Tribe.

He believes the addition of the Yelm Loop and several roundabouts will provide the City of Yelm with a similar alleviation of traffic that occurred when the Nisqually Indian Tribe installed its roundabouts near I-5.

“I knew we could get this done, and we are. After the roundabouts and Yelm Loop are put through, it’s going to transform traffic in Yelm like we’ve never seen before,” DePinto said. “Traffic is going to be a thing of the past.”