OLD PACIFIC HIGHWAY SE AND KUHLMAN ROAD SE
INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS
Improving safety and traffic while mitigating environmental impact in Thurston County
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Let's get up to speed
The Old Pacific Highway SE and Kuhlman Road SE intersection is located approximately 9 miles east of Olympia, Washington. Old Pacific Highway SE is a two-lane minor arterial in combination with Nisqually Road SE that provides a connection from State Route 510 to I-5. Near the study intersection, Old Pacific Highway SE is a two-lane roadway with narrow shoulders. Kuhlman Road SE is a minor arterial that provides a connection between Nisqually Cut Off Road SE and Old Pacific Highway SE.
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PROJECT GOALS
How do we measure success?
Improve intersection operations to meet County standards by providing cost effective improvements
Improve intersection safety
Implement context sensitive improvements with consideration for minimizing environment and right of way impacts
Implement improvements that consider long-term maintenance costs
WHAT DOES "LEVEL OF SERVICE" (LOS) MEAN?
Level of Service (LOS) is a term engineers use to measure traffic flow at roadways and intersections. They study factors like average vehicle speed, traffic density, congestion, and other factors. Then a grade (A, B, C, D, E, F) is assigned to the road or intersection, with LOS A being excellent and LOS F being very bad. Thurston County’s standard for intersection performance is LOS C (moderate).
Pacific Highway and Kuhlman Road currently has an LOS grade of E (moderately bad) during the average evening commute. This means that drivers on Kuhlman Road SE experience moderate-to-significant delays and have difficulty turning onto Old Pacific Highway SE.
Traffic volumes are anticipated to continue increasing at the intersection, leading to worsening delays congestion. If nothing is done, by the year 2045 the intersection is anticipated to degrade from LOS E to LOS F (very bad) during the evening commute period.
How LOS Grading Works
Project Alternatives
To address these issues, the County has developed three potential alternatives. A preferred alternative has not been selected. The County is seeking feedback to help inform in the refinement of alternatives, evaluation of alternatives, and ultimate selection of a preferred alternative.
Project Timeline
Our overall 2022-2023 project workplan is as follows:
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