Aerial rendering of South Bay Road NE showing the pedestrian underpass passing beneath the roadway, with landscaped ramps descending to each portal.

Street-level rendering from across South Bay Road NE: a person walking the new sidewalk past planted beds and street trees.

South Bay Road Pedestrian Underpass Project

Maximize pedestrian safety
Maximize driver safety and traffic flow
Entirely privately funded and maintained
No traffic rerouted through nearby neighborhoods during construction

When the church first opened at this location in the early 1980s, traffic volumes were considerably lower and vehicle speeds were generally slower. As the surrounding area has developed and traffic has increased, the church has become increasingly concerned about pedestrian safety along South Bay Road.

High speeds and multiple accidents have been an ongoing concern on this roadway. Even after the church privately funded a school zone and crosswalk, accidents have continued to occur.

With 1.8 million vehicles and 12,000+ pedestrian crossings annually, the church believes the risk of serious injury or fatality is too great and is willing to make the investment to privately fund this project.

The principle of separating pedestrians from vehicle traffic is supported at the federal, state, and local levels. As stated in the Thurston County Safety Action Plan, “Safer roads come from providing physical separation.”

Our goal is simple: provide the greatest possible safety for pedestrians while maintaining safe, uninterrupted traffic flow for drivers. We believe a pedestrian underpass provides the safest solution for accomplishing both.

35,000+ Vehicle Trips per Week

1,708 Vehicles Over 50 MPH

12,000+ Pedestrian Crossings a Year

South Bay Road Underpass project

Project Overview

Gospel Outreach of Olympia operates a church, private school, playground, ball fields, and recreational open space in northeast Thurston County, serving neighborhoods on both sides of South Bay Road.

When the church opened at this location in the early 1980s, traffic on South Bay Road was considerably lighter and generally slower. As the surrounding area developed and volumes climbed, the crossing became an increasingly dangerous place for people on foot.

Following an earlier traffic study, the church privately funded the crosswalk and school zone improvements now in place, completed in 2019–2020. Still concerned with accidents and high vehicle speeds, the church commissioned a second traffic study.

A week-long traffic study conducted by Heath and Associates in 2024 recorded over 35,000 vehicle trips and approximately 360 pedestrian crossings. Within that single week the study recorded 1,702 vehicles traveling over 50 mph, 91 of them above 60 mph — many in daylight, during school activity hours. Thurston County's most recent estimate puts traffic at roughly 11,000 vehicles per day.

Federal Highway Administration, WSDOT, and other engineering guidance consistently recognize that the highest level of pedestrian safety is achieved by physically separating pedestrians from vehicle traffic, particularly where school children regularly cross busy roadways. On that basis, engineers propose that a pedestrian underpass is the safest long-term solution while allowing traffic on South Bay Road to continue without interruption.

Pedestrian bridges and underpasses across public roadways are not new in Washington State. Hospitals, schools, businesses, and other institutions have used grade-separated crossings to safely move pedestrians over or under vehicle traffic. Washington cities have permitted privately operated and maintained pedestrian tunnels and bridges within public rights-of-way for decades.

The project is entirely privately funded.

Contact: [email protected]

South Bay Road Underpass project

Pedestrian Safety

South Bay Road at this location combines a wide curve, limited sight distance, and little time for a driver to react with a speed limit of 40 mph. City of Olympia traffic studies report that the likelihood of a fatal or serious injury increases significantly once vehicle speeds exceed 40 mph.

A week-long traffic study conducted by Heath and Associates in 2024 recorded over 35,000 vehicle trips and approximately 360 pedestrian crossings. Within that single week the study recorded 1,708 vehicles traveling over 50 mph, 91 of them above 60 mph — many in daylight, during school activity hours. Thurston County's most recent estimate puts traffic at roughly 11,000 vehicles per day.

More than 12,000 pedestrian crossings occur at this location each year, many of them children walking to and from the school, playground, and ball fields.

Since the crosswalk was installed in 2020, incidents at or near it have included:

A vehicle veering off South Bay Road and striking the church's storm pond fencing.
A collision at South Bay Road and 18th Avenue.
A rear-end collision at the existing crosswalk.
A box truck passing through the crosswalk, spinning, and coming to rest in the church front yard while pedestrians were waiting to cross.
A vehicle losing control on the curve and totaling another vehicle near the church driveway.
Multiple vehicles leaving the roadway and entering surrounding property.

The State, County, and City have each expressed commitment to the goals of the Target Zero program, which aims to reduce pedestrian fatalities to zero.

Working together with Thurston County Public Works staff, the church explored a reduced speed limit, flexible guideposts, guardrails, chicanes, pedestrian refuge islands, and a pedestrian bridge before concluding that full separation via an underpass was the best answer for both pedestrians and drivers.

South Bay Road Underpass project

Construction

The underpass is engineered by highly qualified private and municipal engineers and pre-fabricated off site, which keeps the installation timeline relatively brief.

During construction, two lanes alongside South Bay Road will be kept open so traffic continues uninterrupted in both directions, along with bicycle and pedestrian access. No traffic, bicycles, or pedestrians will be rerouted through other neighborhoods.

With two public comment periods, public comment was supportive from the majority of the neighboring community. The project engineers have addressed all known public concerns regarding neighborhood traffic, funding, traffic detours etc.

Upon completion, the underpass will be entirely privately supervised, monitored, and maintained on an ongoing inspection schedule, at no cost to the County or to taxpayers.