Lacey mayor talks transportation

Transportation and traffic was on the agenda, when Lacey Mayor Graeme Sackrison addressed the first meeting of the Lacey Chamber of Commerce’s newly revamped Business and Economic Development Committee.

Sackrison said that traffic was a major priority for the City of Lacey, and traced a number of projects the city was working on.  These included the extension of Mullen Road to College Street, the Marvin Road Interchange which has recently been finished, Carpenter Road widening and College Street improvements.

The mayor told the dozen or so chamber members, that he was also representing Lacey at the Puget Sound Council of Government, where regional transportation matters are debated.   Sackrison said it would be a long time, if ever, before a commuter rail line was extended from Lakewood into Thurston County.   “We’d have to gain voter approval for a sales tax increase, if we were to become part of that system,” he said.   The mayor indicated that might be a tough sell.

He pointed out that the Thurston County Chamber was working with local governments and local government agencies, to identify transportation projects that would benefit the whole county.

In order for a project to gain funding from the state, it must be on a city’s Six-year Transportation Plan.   As other cities do, Lacey updates its plan every year. 

The current plan has the Lacey Woodland Trail Phase 2 as its top priority, and that work should commence this year.  The cost of extending the trail is estimated at $1.6 million.

Carpenter Road Widening from Pacific Avenue to Martin Way is number three on the list.   This is a joint County/City project and is estimated to cost more than $17 million.   The biggest section of this project is a new bridge over Lois Lake.

College Street corridor improvements is number eight on the list and is estimated to cost more than $15 million.  No money has been approved for this, or the Carpenter Road project, but must be on the list if there is any hope of getting state money.

You can obtain a complete copy of the city’s Six-Year Street Plan by contacting the Cityof Lacey.  Lacey chamber members who wish to be part of the new Business and Economic Development Committee should contact the Lacey chamber office.