A dead-end roadway in the Olympia area frequently subject to illegal dumping will be closed to traffic for the next 10 years in an effort to cut down on cleanup costs.
The Thurston County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the closure following a public hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 3. The closure officially takes effect March 2.
A gate will soon be installed on Sexton Drive Northwest about 455 feet north of the intersection with Steamboat Island Road Northwest, blocking a 0.14 mile dead-end section of Sexton Drive Northwest from vehicle traffic.
An existing driveway serving Washington State Department of Transportation property will act as an emergency turnaround.
The roadway will remain open to pedestrians, and keys or lockbox access will be given to emergency services and affected property owners.
“The premise is, if folks don’t have the ability to drive a vehicle, they’re less likely to walk back and forth with trash in hand,” said Thurston County Manager Leonard Hernandez. “I do think that Public Works is working with property owners to come up with a pretty good solution that will be yet another barrier to prevent some of that from happening.”
That dead-end section of Sexton Drive Northwest has experienced recurring issues with illegal dumping, vehicle abandonment and unauthorized RV parking since at least 2022.
According to data from the state Department of Ecology Community Litter Cleanup Program, a total of 7,341 pounds of illegally dumped debris was removed from that section of Sexton Drive Northwest between August 2023 and July 2025.
Of that, 4,240 pounds of debris was removed in 2025 — up from 2,100 pounds in 2024 and 1,001 pounds in 2023.
Debris has included household trash, drug paraphernalia, hazardous chemicals, vehicles, tires, yard waste and more.
The situation has prompted involvement from the Thurston County Sheriff's Office and Thurston County Public Works Solid Waste Division, with increased cleanup operations and law enforcement responses creating additional workload, operational costs and safety issues for the county
In addition to problems caused by the debris, employees and volunteers with Capital Land Trust, which owns 32 acres off of Sexton Drive Northwest, have also reported that their cars have been broken into and timber on their property has been illegally cut.
“Because of this, we have implemented additional safety measures when visiting this property and continue to expend resources, now exceeding several thousand dollars to address these impacts,” said Capitol Land Trust spokesperson Alexandra James.
Capitol Land Trust expressed concerns about activity on Sexton Drive Northwest to Thurston County Commission Chair Tye Menser, prompting Thurston County staff to begin working on a solution.
“We're appreciative that the county took our concerns seriously and worked collaboratively with landowners in the area to identify reasonable solutions, including a gate across the road and a temporary road closure,” James said, voicing support for the resolution.
Capitol Land Trust owns one of three properties affected by the Sexton Drive Northwest closure. The other two properties are owned by the same landowner, Kacey Magnusson, who is also in support of the resolution, according to Thurston County Public Works Director Karen Weiss.
“I appreciate us publicly having this conversation, because hopefully it'll get out there to people who are concerned about this in their area, that they can reach out to the county and will be responsive to them when we'll try to come up with creative solutions,” said Commissioner Emily Clouse.
“I think this is a good solution,” said Commissioner Wayne Fournier. The illegal, clandestine kind of aspect of the dumping is much harder to do when you can’t find a dark place to do it.”
Public Works will reevaluate road needs following the 10-year closure period, as potential property development is planned, according to Thurston County.
