Olympia Capitol Reopens To Pedestrians After Monthslong Closure

OLYMPIA, WA — A restricted portion of Washington's Capitol Campus has been reopened to pedestrians after being cordoned off for several months.

That portion of the West Capitol Campus remains closed to vehicles, but security leaders are cautiously optimistic that it will remain open to foot traffic for the foreseeable future. However, Department of Enterprise Services (DES) Capitol Security and Washington State Patrol will continue to monitor the situation and say it may change if new threats present themselves.

“There are still many unknowns and substantial uncertainty as to how our security environment will continue to evolve, but we are hopeful that threat levels or illegal activity do not affect this restored pedestrian access in the days and weeks ahead,” said Department of Enterprise Services Director Chris Liu.

Pedestrians can enter the formerly-restricted area through access gates along Cherry Lane and via the trail north of the Law Enforcement Memorial.

Washington's Capitol has been on high alert since Jan. 6, when a group of protesters breached the gates of the governor's mansion. The same day, a pro-Trump insurrection stormed the Capitol in Washington D.C., killing five.

No one was harmed during governor's mansion breach, though Inslee and his wife Trudi had been inside the building at the time. Several breach participants have since been arrested for trespassing.

In response to the breach and in anticipation of other protests against the inauguration of President Joe Biden, Inslee ordered the Washington State National Guard and Washington State Patrol to begin guarding the Capitol Campus starting Jan. 10.

On Jan. 20, Washington State Patrol announced that they would begin drawing back their extra security — a process that is still ongoing.