Olympia, WA
Overview
Routes
Interstate 5
The origins of Interstate 5 through Olympia start with the 1950s expressway of U.S. 99 south from Exit 102 (Trosper Road) at Tumwater. U.S. 99 utilized this road and followed Trosper Road east to Capitol Boulevard until 1958. A new stretch of Interstate 5 opened then between Exits 102 and 109, doubling as the route for U.S. 99. Further east, I-5 was completed in 1968 from Exits 109 to Exit 114. U.S. 99 was dropped from Washington a year later.1
U.S. 101
U.S. 101 travels 365.55 miles within the Evergreen State. The route hugs the Pacific Coast from the Columbia River north of Astoria, Oregon to a point north of Lakaloch west of the Olympic Mountains. The US route encircles the Olympic Peninsula east and south to Shelton and its terminus at Olympia. The original "northern" terminus of U.S. 101 was located in downtown at the intersection of 4th Street and Capitol Way, where U.S. 99 turned east from the Capitol area to Lacey. After 1949, Olympia converted 4th Street and parallel State Avenue into a one-way couplet, shifting the beginning of U.S. 101 one block further north.2 U.S. 101 shifted a freeway bypass south of Olympia in 1959.
Old U.S. 99
U.S. 99 traveled into Olympia via Capitol Boulevard from Tumwater. Capitol Way carried the route north to 4th Avenue in Downtown. 4th Avenue carried U.S. 99 shields east from Capitol Way and U.S. 101 to Pacific Avenue at Martin Way. U.S. 99 and companion U.S. 410 continued east along Pacific Avenue to Lacey. The surface street alignment lasted until the 1958 when U.S. 99 joined newly opened Interstate 5 between Exits 102 and 109.1
Old U.S. 410
U.S. 410 originally traveled between Aberdeen, Washington and Lewiston, Idaho. The designation was vastly replaced by an extension of U.S. 12 west in 1967. From west to east, U.S. 410 followed what later became U.S. 12 between Aberdeen and Elma, SR 8 from Elma to Mud Bay, with U.S. 101 from Mud Bay to Olympia, with U.S. 99 from Olympia to Tacoma, SR 167 from Tacoma to Sumner, SR 410 from Sumner to Naches, and U.S. 12 from Naches to Lewiston.
The route shared alignments with U.S. 99 east of Downtown Olympia to Tacoma and west from Downtown to Mud Lake with U.S. 101. When U.S. 99 shifted onto Interstate 5 in 1958, U.S. 410 was realigned from 4th Street and Pacific Avenue to a shared alignment with the new freeway along U.S. 101 and I-5 at Exit 104.1
City Streets and Roads
14th Ave SE - West (5 photos)
Capitol Way (Old U.S. 99) - North (6 photos)
Capitol Way (Old U.S. 99) - South (7 photos)
Other Roads (9 photos)
Capitol Way (Old U.S. 99) - North
11th Avenue SE heads west from Capitol Way (Old U.S. 99) to the General Administration building and east to the Natural Resources building of the State Capitol Campus. 09/02/06
Union Avenue follows in one block along Capitol Way north. An Interstate 5 trailblazer directs motorists onto Union Avenue east to Plum Street for the respective freeway on-ramps. 09/02/06
Legion Way provides an alternate route to Plum Street for motorists bound for Interstate 5 from Old U.S. 99 (Capitol Way). 09/02/06
4th Avenue leads east from Capitol Way and Downtown Olympia to Plum Street south to Interstate 5 at Exit 105 or Pacific Avenue east to Exit 107. 09/02/06
Entering the intersection with 4th Avenue on Old U.S. 99 (Capitol Way) north. 4th Avenue represents the historical turn of U.S. 99 east from Capitol Way. The intersection doubles as the historic end of U.S. 101 and transition of U.S. 410 from an overlap with U.S. 99 east to Tacoma and west to Mud Bay. 09/02/06
Capitol Way north at State Avenue. State Avenue flows west as the counterpart to 4th Avenue east. State Avenue carried U.S. 99 south from Pacific Avenue after 1949 and until 1958. State Avenue west from Capitol Way represents U.S. 101 north after 1949 as well. 09/02/06