Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
Mayor Joe DePinto used Facebook to provide an update on the long-awaited Yelm Loop project during his trip on Aug. 19, to WSDOT’s material laboratory in Tumwater.
Specifically, DePinto noted that Active Construction Incorporated (ACI) came in with the lowest qualified bid at roughly $39.72 million for the decades-in-the-making Yelm Loop project.
“I’m standing right now outside of WSDOT’s materials laboratory in Tumwater. It’s where they do their bid openings, and I’m waiting for the big opening for the Yelm Loop,” DePinto said on Aug. 19. “This was supposed to occur about two months ago, but was delayed three times — twice due to land acquisition, and this last time was due to pipe specification changes.”
In the video, DePinto said that ACI came in at just under $40 million after WSDOT opened bids.
In total, the value of the contract with ACI is worth $39,724,724. The second lowest bidder was Miles Resources LLC, which presented a bid of $41,121,122.50. Scarsella Bros Inc. was the third lowest bidder at $42,629,629.
“I’m told that WSDOT will now review and ensure the winning bid is all good,” DePinto said. “Construction will start in about a month or so. They also shared that they were going to give the option for the winning bidder to start construction early next year due to the lack of optimal construction weather this year.”
Though DePinto doesn’t have any direct control over WSDOT’s project, he said he’ll do everything he can to advocate for ACI to head to construction this year.
“This Yelm Loop is going to help tremendously at moving the 50,000 cars that use our streets every day to get through Yelm quicker,” DePinto said. “But it’s only part of the solution. Traffic intersections at Five Corners, where Arco and Starbucks are, along with the traffic chokepoint in McKenna in front of the elementary school, are going to be converted into roundabouts. That’s going to really help with the traffic flow.”
Additionally, DePinto claimed that the bridge over the Nisqually River in McKenna is not a traffic choke point, despite some residents claiming it is. Additionally, he believes these upcoming traffic projects should make a difference in reducing local traffic.
“The end game is to make Yelm like a diamond,” DePinto said. “The Yelm Loop will be the northern part of the diamond and that will be starting where the roundabout is entering from Lacey and ending where the soon-to-be-built roundabout will be at Walmart.”
Additionally, DePinto said the Southern Loop portion of the potential Yelm diamond would consist of extending the four existing lanes on Tahoma Boulevard toward Rainier. He specified that the road would extend out toward Rainier and that a roundabout would be constructed near George Road.
From there, DePinto said the Southern Loop would continue to stretch out behind Mill Pond Elementary School and Prairie Elementary School before connecting to the planned roundabout in front of Yelm’s Walmart.
“The Yelm Loop and the roundabouts are all funded, planned and will be completed within the next few years,” DePinto said. “We’re going to get Yelm moving again. Thanks for your patience.”
