Mike Salsbury/The Olympian
A new traffic light near her home will help ease traffic woes on Hoffman Street, says Woodfield Estates resident Kathy Martin.

Signal to ease mad dash

City Council shifts funds to fix tough intersection

MICHAEL BURNHAM, THE OLYMPIAN

OLYMPIA -- Drivers in southeast Olympia look forward to a safer way out of their neighborhood.

The City Council voted in December to delay the controversial extension of Decatur Street to Caton Way in southwest Olympia until 2005.

Federal funds once earmarked for sidewalk and bike lane construction along Decatur Street will instead pay for southeast Olympia road improvements this year, including a traffic signal at the intersection of Hoffman and Fones roads.

The $1.4 million in federal money will pay for street paving, sidewalks and bike lanes along Fones Road and connected streets, from Lacey city limits on the east to Hoffman Road on the west.

Woodfield Estates neighborhood residents covet most the addition of the traffic signal.

"There are certain times of day that you don't want to be there," said Kathy Martin, vice president of the Woodfield Estates Homeowners Association. "It's a big accident waiting to happen."

When northbound motorists stop along Hoffman Road at the four-way intersection, it's not uncommon to see the drivers gooseneck over their steering wheels.

Hills and tall shrubbery make it difficult for drivers to see eastbound and westbound traffic, which has the right of way.

The result is sometimes a mad dash by impatient Hoffman Road motorists or a five-minute wait during heavy traffic, said former Woodfield association President Doug Mah, who is now a city councilman."I've seen some near-misses," Mah said.

Homes built during 1990s

According to 2000 Census data, 76 people live along Woodfield Loop. Residents in this neighborhood of single-family homes and sculpted front lawns pass through the Hoffman and Fones intersection to get to jobs and shopping in Lacey and Olympia. Homes within this centrally located development were built between 1991 and 1995, said Thurston Regional Planning Council planner Pete Swensson. The average homeowner's age is 34, and 38 percent of Woodfield residents are age 18 and younger.

Plans for the southeast Olympia road improvements have been in the city's capital facilities plan since 1997. But, to the chagrin of neighborhood residents, the City Council annually deferred funding for the project.

Last year brought a catalyst, as Mah was elected to the council in November.

As residents objected to the planned 2003 extension of Decatur Street and the council shaped its 2002 budget in December, Mah pushed for the funding swap.

"It will be very welcome," added Martin. "(The intersection) won't be quite so anxiety-producing."

Michael Burnham covers Olympia for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-704-6869.

Does your neighborhood have a story for Our Neighborhoods? If you have a special event, are tackling a tough issue or are planning a project, let us know. Call or e-mail Communities Editor Jerre Redecker at 360-754-5422 or jredecker@theolympian.com. Our Neighborhoods will run Thursdays on Communities.

For related stories go to the Communities section.

Woodfield Estates Homeowners Association

- Boundaries: A 67-home development between Hoffman Road and Chambers Lake, approximately 1,200 feet south of Fones and Hoffman roads.

- Membership: 67 properties

- Meetings: Every other month, starting in January.

- Elections: Five directors are elected to three-year terms; the directors elect officers to one-year terms. Elections are held at the annual meeting.

- Nearest school: McKenny Elementary School

- Contact: Kathy Martin, Woodfield Homeowners Association vice president, 360-438-6234

- Main issue: Neighborhood traffic

The Olympian Copyright 2002

back to main Home Page Stories index