Street closed tomorrow for ‘final’ exodus from Ensign Road in Olympia

Ensign Road will be closed off from Martin Way to Providence Lane tomorrow, October 27, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for what Olympia’s Homeless Response Team assures will be its final round of clearing operations of vehicles parked along the road.

According to the city’s press release, up to eight more individuals will be moved to Quince Street Village along with the previous 50 who lived in their vehicles parked along Ensign Road.

“Permanently clearing the vehicles from the right-of-way on Ensign Road gives emergency vehicles unobstructed access to Providence St. Peter Hospital,” the city explained.

Motorists still have access to Providence Mother Joseph Care Center, South Sound Oral Surgery, and Laboratories Northwest via Lilly Road during the clean-up.

Quince Street Village is part of Olympia’s efforts to address the homeless problem in the city, featuring micro-homes for people experiencing homelessness. Originally catered to residents from the now-dismantled Franklin Street Mitigation Site, the village now also serves as a home for the Ensign Road occupants.

Olympia noted that temporary parking permits for Ensign Road expired today and that any vehicle parked after 8 a.m. tomorrow will be doing so illegally and will be subject to parking enforcement, including being towed away.