After five years of engineering, federal permitting, and neighborhood-by-neighborhood construction, Mason County Public Utility District No. 3 has crossed its finish line. The Three Fingers Fiber Project — funded in part by a $2.4 million USDA ReConnect Pilot Program grant — reached its April 2026 federal completion deadline with more than 250 homes and businesses in the Three Fingers area of Grapeview now connected to symmetrical gigabit fiber internet. At the same time, Shelton is taking its first deliberate steps toward the most significant road reconstruction the city has seen in nearly four decades, with a $6 million overhaul of Olympic Highway North moving into the design phase. Both projects represent infrastructure investments that will shape how Mason County residents live, work, and move for a generation.
Three Fingers Fiber: What the Completion Milestone Means
The Three Fingers area sits in one of the harder-to-reach pockets of Mason County’s broadband map — a community that until recently had to make do with slow or unreliable connections while the rest of the county moved toward fiber. That changes now.
PUD 3 was the first utility in Washington state to be awarded a USDA ReConnect Pilot Program grant when it received the $2.4 million award in 2020 to extend high-speed wholesale broadband to the Three Fingers area of Grapeview. Construction of the mainline distribution network was completed ahead of schedule despite early COVID-related delays. Over the final months, PUD 3 crews worked block by block through what the district calls its “Fiberhood” model — connecting individual homes and businesses that had applied for service — to hit the April 2026 federal deadline.
The completion brings PUD 3’s countywide fiber network to more than 3,000 connected premises across Mason County. The open-access design means residents aren’t locked into a single provider: PUD 3 owns the physical fiber infrastructure while multiple local internet retailers compete to deliver service over it. Customers can choose from providers offering unlimited, symmetrical 1,000/1,000 Mbps gigabit internet, HDTV, and phone service — and switch between them without any new wiring — for approximately $85 per month.
Residents in Three Fingers who have not yet applied for a connection can contact PUD 3’s Telecom Team at pud3.org. An Engineering Designer will review what construction is needed to reach the home and walk through next steps.
Cloquallum Communities: The Next Fiberhood
For residents in the neighboring Cloquallum Communities area, PUD 3’s expansion isn’t finished yet. The Cloquallum Communities Fiberhood is the district’s next active buildout, and an application fee waiver was extended through May 31, 2026, for residents in that service area. Anyone in Cloquallum who has not yet applied should check pud3.org for current terms and timelines before the waiver expires.
Shelton Eyes $6 Million Overhaul of Olympic Highway North
On the other end of the county, Shelton is beginning a methodical planning process for the most consequential road project the city has taken on in decades. Olympic Highway North — the stretch running from C Street to Wallace Kneeland Boulevard — was last paved in 1989. After 37 years, the pavement is fractured and deteriorating, and the City of Shelton has secured funding to rebuild it from the ground up.
The total project cost is estimated at up to $6 million. The largest share of that comes from a $3.7 million grant from the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board — funding that comes with a firm requirement: the final design must include dedicated bicycle lanes. That condition is shaping the conversation among residents and decision-makers about how to balance competing uses on the corridor.
About 50 residents attended a community meeting at the Shelton Civic Center on March 10 to hear consultant Transpo Group present four design options. Each option addresses the road differently, with varying configurations for travel lanes, on-street parking, and bike lanes.
City staff have recommended Option 2, which features buffered bike lanes that physically separate cyclists from vehicle traffic, parking retained on one side of the road, and a configuration that meets the TIB grant requirements. The staff recommendation notes that Option 2 “offers the greatest balance of modes within the right of way compared to other options” and that the buffered lanes provide improved safety and comfort for cyclists relative to traditional painted bike lanes.
Transpo Group is expected to finalize the design this coming winter. The project would then go out for bid in spring 2027, with construction potentially beginning in summer 2027. Residents who want to provide input on the design options can visit sheltonwa.gov for project information and public comment opportunities.
Two Projects, One Theme
Taken together, the Three Fingers fiber completion and the Olympic Highway North planning process reflect a county working through the accumulated infrastructure debt of rural communities that grew before modern utility and transportation standards caught up. Fiber internet for Three Fingers closes a connectivity gap that left residents effectively offline in a digital economy. The Olympic Highway reconstruction addresses a road that has outlasted multiple generations of patch repairs. Neither project is flashy. Both are exactly what long-term residents and newcomers alike need from their county and city governments.
For residents with questions about either project, the contact points are clear: pud3.org for fiber service inquiries, and sheltonwa.gov for Olympic Highway North project updates and public input.
Related Coverage
For more context on PUD 3’s broader fiber expansion across Mason County, see Mason County PUD 3 Fiber Internet Is Reaching More Homes in 2026 and When Is Fiber Internet Coming to My Mason County Neighborhood?
Frequently Asked Questions
Has the Three Fingers Fiber Project been completed?
Yes. Mason County PUD 3’s Three Fingers Fiber Project reached its federal April 2026 completion deadline. More than 250 homes and businesses in the Three Fingers area of Grapeview are now connected to PUD 3’s open-access gigabit fiber network. Residents who applied for service and have not yet been connected should contact PUD 3’s Telecom Team at pud3.org.
What is the USDA ReConnect grant that funded Three Fingers fiber?
The USDA ReConnect Pilot Program provides federal grants to extend broadband to unserved rural areas. Mason County PUD 3 received a $2.4 million ReConnect grant in 2020 — the first such award to a Washington state utility — specifically to fund the Three Fingers buildout. The grant required the project to be completed by April 2026, a deadline PUD 3 met.
How much does PUD 3 fiber internet cost in Mason County?
PUD 3 fiber customers pay approximately $85 per month for unlimited, symmetrical 1,000/1,000 Mbps (gigabit) internet through a retail provider of their choice. Because PUD 3 operates an open-access network — owning the fiber infrastructure while multiple ISPs compete to deliver service over it — customers have a choice of providers and can switch without any new wiring.
What is the Cloquallum Communities Fiberhood, and can I still apply?
The Cloquallum Communities Fiberhood is PUD 3’s next active fiber buildout, adjacent to the Three Fingers area. An application fee waiver was extended through May 31, 2026. Residents in the Cloquallum area should visit pud3.org to check current terms and apply before the waiver expires.
Why does Shelton’s Olympic Highway North project require bike lanes?
The City of Shelton received a $3.7 million grant from the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board to help fund the Olympic Highway North reconstruction. A condition of that grant is that the final design must include dedicated bicycle lanes. The city is currently evaluating four design options from consultant Transpo Group, all of which incorporate bike lanes in different configurations.
When will Olympic Highway North construction begin?
The current project timeline calls for Transpo Group to finalize the design in winter 2026, followed by a bid process in spring 2027 and construction beginning in summer 2027. The road runs from C Street to Wallace Kneeland Boulevard in Shelton and has not been paved since 1989.
How can I give input on the Olympic Highway North project?
The City of Shelton is continuing to gather public feedback on the four design options presented by Transpo Group at the March 10 community meeting at Shelton Civic Center. Residents can visit sheltonwa.gov for project information and public comment opportunities as the design process continues through 2026.
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