Jacob Dimond / jake@yelmonline.com
The Yelm City Council gave the community a glimpse into the future of local transportation and infrastructure projects as it unanimously approved a six-year transportation improvement plan (STIP) during a Tuesday, June 10, meeting.
Yelm Public Works Director Cody Colt appeared at the podium during the meeting and informed the council that the city is required by state law to identify a six-year list of planned transportation projects. The list doesn’t have to be fiscally constrained, but rather just a simple listing of scheduled projects.
“I would imagine in the next year or two, you’re going to see a lot of projects drop off because they’ll start construction and/or finish, like the roundabout, the bypass — some of those things that are on that six-year transportation plan,” Colt said.
The 10 projects listed in the council agenda packet in relation to the 2026-2031 STIP include:
• Bald Hill Road Southeast at Morris Road Southeast — intersection improvements
• Coates Avenue Northwest-Killion Road Northwest to Cullens Road Southeast
• Longmire Street/state Route 510 (Yelm Ave West) — intersection improvements
• Mill Road Southeast at state Route 507 — intersection improvements
• Mosman Avenue Southeast Phase 3 — Second Street Southeast to Fourth Street Southeast
• NP Road Northeast/Canal Road Southeast/Wilkensen Road Southeast reconstruction
• First Street North to state Route 510 Yelm Loop Phase 2
• Rhoton Road Northwest reconstruction — Railway to Yelm Loop Phase 2 (state Route 510)
• State Route 507/Bald Hill Southeast roundabout
• State Route 510/Burnett Road Southeast/93rd Street Southeast — realignment and intersection improvements
• Walmart Boulevard Southeast Extension (Yelm Loop Phase 3A) — State Route 507 to Bald Hill Road Southeast
After Yelm city councilors unanimously approved the STIP, Yelm Associate Planner Andrew Kollar presented an update on the city’s traffic facilities charge to the council. After a calculation, Kollar suggested the amount was set to $3,628 per peak p.m. trip, and $1,814 per peak p.m. trip for affordable housing projects.
“I’m here tonight in regard to resolution 6.5.8 for the annual update of the traffic facilities charge based on the STIP. As written in the Yelm Municipal Code, the traffic facilities charge is based on the development’s contribution to the local traffic,” Kollar said. “These are adopted annually. The resolution has also reduced the traffic facilities charges by 50% for affordable housing projects. This was in the same resolution as passed last year, and it’s also consistent with the housing action plan.”
Yelm city councilors unanimously approved the suggested traffic facilities charge amounts.
