Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
Yelm City Councilors unanimously approved amendment no. 2 in the professional services agreement with Parametrix for the Rhoton Road reconstruction project, expanding design plans from 60% to 100% and engineering right of way services.
Specifically, the right of way services would include a sidewalk connector on Railway Road. The contract is in the amount of $817,375.96.
Brad Chatwood, Yelm’s projects and programs manager, highlighted the amendments to the contract to Yelm City Council during the meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 11.
“You may remember back in May of 25, you guys approved the agreement for 60% of the project,” Chatwood said. “At that time, we weren’t sure what the right-of-way take was going to be on this. Now that we have a better idea, we can actually move this forward into full design.”
Chatwood added that in Oct. 2025, the first amendment was added into the contract to add a water main. He said since the project is already tearing up the road, they might as well update the water main while they’re reconstructing the road.
“We’ve got a ton of grant money on this one,” Chatwood said. “We’ve got about $5 million in grant funds currently, and we’re always looking for more. This is a huge leg-up for Yelm to get this Rhoton Road corridor through, especially with the Yelm Loop coming, so we hear.”
Councilor Tracey Wood asked Chatwood about the $817,375.96 price tag, and pondered if that’s all coming out of grant funding?
Cody Colt, City of Yelm’s public services director, highlighted the Rhoton Road reconstruction project in a previous interview with the Nisqually Valley News on Monday, Aug. 10. He anticipates this project going to construction in late 2027 or early 2028. He also expects a 12-to-18 month construction timeline.
“Rhoton Road will be the new artery coming in from the Yelm Loop,” Colt said, on Aug. 10. “Right now, everybody comes down Cullens Road. You’ll actually come down Rhoton Road once the loop is done. It will be a quicker way to get into downtown. That road will be improved with wider lanes. There will be a shared use path, 10-foot, that will connect the trail to the loop trail.”
