Road demolition, paving work taking place on Fones Road

A street improvement project is going to make navigating Fones Road a bit trickier over the next few days.

Crews started working on roadway demolition and placing gravel on Tuesday, May, 5, as part of the multimillion-dollar Fones Road Corridor Project in Olympia.

The roadwork is expected to last through Friday, May 8, or possibly Monday, May 11, when the stretch of Fones Road is scheduled to then be paved.

The work is taking place from just south of the south Home Depot driveway to 17th Way SE.

"Please plan for possible delays and allow extra travel time when traveling through the area," said the City of Olympia Public Works Department in a construction and traffic alert.

What to expect

• Work will occur during regular daytime hours, generally from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
• Large trucks will not be allowed to use this section of the road.
• Local access to Fones Road will be maintained. 
• Emergency vehicles and school buses will be allowed to pass through the work zone.
• Through traffic will need to use detour routes (see attached map).
• Left turns may not be available. The 18th Avenue roundabout provides access to businesses and homes using right turns. 
• Reduced lanes will remain in place through the end of construction, currently scheduled for fall 2026.

Construction on the Fones Road Corridor Project started in November 2024 with the goal of transforming it into a safer corridor for bicyclists, motorists, pedestrians and truckers.

The estimated cost of the corridor project is $24.5 million with the City of Olympia contributing more than $13 million. The city has also received more than $11 million in grants from state and federal sources to help pay for the project.

The project also aims to create a safer connection to transit stops on 18th and Pacific avenues, as well as add landscaping and lighting along the corridor, which measures less than three-quarters of a mile.