By Mark Krulish
It’s the traditional home of the Nisqually Indian Tribe. Visitors to the ecologically diverse Billy Frank Jr. National Wildlife Refuge know the area is home to bald eagles, waterfowl and a pit stop for migrating birds. The river at this location divides Thurston and Pierce counties. Within this setting sits Interstate 5 – the main mover of people and goods along the west coast, from Mexico to Canada.
How will this I-5 corridor look and feel in the future? That’s what we are studying right now. …and we need your input.
We are tasked with making the best decisions for the future of this critical connection. Every step of the way, we need you to help us make those decisions.
Now through March 1, we have several design options that we want your feedback on.
Studying the alternatives
Lately we have been busy looking at different alternatives to improve this roadway. As part of this process, we have been collaborating with local governments, local tribes, transit agencies, JBLM and the Federal Highway Administration.
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A look at one of the
design options for the Nisqually Valley project, including a new elevated I-5
interchange |
In our February round of advisory meetings, we will look at these design options to get feedback from these representatives.
But we also need input from the public. This is where we need your help.
Submit your feedback
Through the end of February, our engage web page will host a few different design options under consideration.
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A look at another design option for the Nisqually Valley project |
We have simple improvements to reduce demand for single-occupancy vehicles. This would rely on coordination with local governments and entities to work in tandem with us to implement their own strategies for things such as express bus service and providing support for alternative travel modes – such as walking and biking. This option could also include environmental improvements for the Nisqually River channel by replacing the existing bridges with new structures.
We also have designs to widen I-5 in the area by adding general purpose or HOV lanes, converting general purpose lanes to HOV, or building a long, elevated bridge up over the Nisqually River Delta area.
Take a look at the designs on our engage web page. Once you have reviewed them, there will be a place to leave your feedback. This is the best way to ensure your comments are incorporated into final report.
Keep up with the latest news on our project page, where we post materials and videos of our meetings with local agencies. You can also sign up for email updates here. Simply click on the link and enter your email address.