Here's something I missed writing about the last couple of weeks, there are new truck routes downtown. The conversation over on the downtown noise thread specifically mentioned trucks, so I thought this would be interesting.

Since 1997, when it was realized that the 4th Ave Bridge was a crumbling mess, there has been a move by the council to juggle truck routes across the two bridges. Here's a timeline from the council's staff report:

May 1997 - Council action to enact weight restrictions on the 4th Avenue Bridge and remove 4th Avenue between Olympic Way and Water Street and Olympic Way from 4th Avenue to Harrison Avenue as truck routes.

June 1997 - Council action to implement truck route designation on 5th Avenue and Columbia Street

March 2001 - Council action to remove truck route designation on 5th Avenue and Columbia Street and impose weight restrictions on the 5th Avenue Bridge.

The last couple of weeks, the council has been looking at and approving a new ordinance that will open the two bridge routes back to local truck traffic:

The need for weight restrictions on the Olympia-Yashiro Friendship Bridge (4th Avenue Bridge) is no longer necessary with completion of the new bridge and other corridor improvements. The Gateway Corridor improvements along 4th Avenue and Olympic Way are designed to accommodate truck traffic. Weight restrictions on the 5th Avenue Bridge are no longer necessary to mitigate impacts of trucks on traffic flow through the 5th Avenue corridor.

The designation of 4th Avenue and Olympic Way as a truck route allows trucks to use this corridor as a cross-town truck route and for local deliveries. Fifth Avenue will not be a designated truck route; however, trucks are allowed to use 5th Avenue for local deliveries.

Trucks are currently using 4th Avenue and Olympic Way as a truck route even though it is not currently designated as a truck route.

Here's is the ultimate effect of the new ordinance:

• Reinstate truck route designation on 4th Avenue between Olympic Way and Water Street and on Olympic Way between 4th Avenue and Harrison Avenue;
• Remove weight limits on the Olympia-Yashiro Friendship (4th) and 5th Avenue Bridges; and
• Update and clarify street names for existing truck routes.
  

Does this mean more log trucks downtown? I'm not sure. Log trucks weren't likely coming off the highway at Mud Bay just to cut though Olympia just to get back on the highway at the Capital Campus or Plum St. anyway. So, the only reason they were there in the first place was to get logs from west bay by Tug Boat Annie's over to the marine terminal, the highway or railroad.