Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
For many residents of Yelm and surrounding areas, anticipation of the construction and completion of the decades-awaited Yelm Loop project has turned into a pipe dream after numerous delays in timing over the decades.
Despite the project delays and lingering negativity around the long-anticipated project, Cody Colt, Yelm Public Works director, told the Nisqually Valley News on Sunday, June 21, that the Yelm Loop is the closest it’s even been to going to construction.
Specifically, the Yelm Loop’s bid was published on Monday, May 11, and according to Colt, bids will officially open on Wednesday, July 1. He’ll travel to WSDOT headquarters in Olympia to watch the bid opening next month.
“They’ll be doing that July 1. With a timeline for construction starting, I would imagine, a couple of weeks after that,” Colt said. “The really crazy thing when it comes to the loop is it’s going to be huge. It’s not our project, but it’s cool to track it because it’s important to Yelm.”
Colt noted there’s going to be “a huge group” of construction companies that dig into the project and ultimately file a bid. He anticipates the Yelm Loop project being valued between $50 million and $70 million.
He added WSDOT will make sure each of the companies are certified and ultimately take the lowest responsive bidder.
“That’s what wins it. Whoever gets that is the winner,” Colt said. “For a project this big, the bidding portion was open for just over a month. People have to take a long time to get their bids together.”
According to Colt, WSDOT will first begin constructing the project near Walmart with the addition of two roundabouts. Specifically, one roundabout will be installed at the intersection of 103rd St. SE. and Walmart Boulevard SE, and another will be constructed at the intersection of State Route 507 SE.
From there, Colt said construction will continue on Cullens Road and eventually through to Wilkensen Road.
“It’s an 18-month construction timeline. I would assume, because it’s the state government, you’re talking about a two-year construction timeline,” Colt said. “We should be done in late 2028. Everything should be done. The entire loop should be done in two years.”
Colt has also displayed optimism when talking about the Yelm Loop project during council meetings and open houses. His optimistic perspective stems from the fact that this project has never been this far along in the construction process.
“This project has never gone out to bid,” Colt said. “We’ve been here forever and say ‘they say it’s going to happen,’ but it’s never been out to bid before. Going out to bid is huge. It’s the final step before starting the work.”
While Colt and the City of Yelm believe the addition of the Yelm Loop and several roundabouts will work to alleviate traffic in the long run, he asked residents to remain patient as the project is constructed.
“Bear with the city and the state because the roads are going to be torn up over the next year and a half with all of the projects happening,” Colt said. “It’s going to be painful driving through, but after they’re all done, you’re going to notice a huge difference in traffic.”
Colt noted no specific traffic detours will be set during the initial construction phase of the Yelm Loop project near Walmart. He said during late night hours, when the roads are closed, drivers may have to traverse on gravel or one lane roads — but that’s the extent of it.
“They’re going to limit it a lot to that, where you’ll have road closures late at night and other things. When Evergreen Valley, over by EBG, when they did that roundabout, there were times you were driving on gravel or one lane roads. It will be similar,” Colt said. “Drive carefully. Drive cautious. Take your time. It’s going to be a pain for about a year and a half, and then after that Yelm will be totally different with traffic.”
