Date:
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Contact:
Mike Askarian, Project Engineer, 206-786-5861 (Seattle)
Greg Phipps, WSDOT Communications, 206-440-4702 (Seattle)
NORTH BEND – Weekday commuters and outlet-store shoppers headed to North Bend on Interstate 90 and State Route 202 are now driving through a freshly striped two-lane roundabout.
A striping crew working for WSDOT finished lane markings Wednesday evening and opened the roundabout to two lanes of traffic, three weeks ahead of schedule. The roundabout had been open in a one-lane configuration since late August.
The new roundabout will improve traffic flow and reduce the risk of collisions for the more than 5,000 drivers who use the eastbound I-90 exit to SR 202 on an average weekday. The old four-way stop at the end of the ramp could not accommodate this level of traffic and traffic could back up onto eastbound I-90 during the afternoon peak commute.
New signing and striping will help drivers new to roundabouts navigate through the intersection.
“Although roundabouts are becoming more common in Washington State, there is a bit of a learning curve when we open a new one,” said WSDOT Project Engineer Mike Askarian. “Traffic will really start to improve once drivers get used to driving through the roundabout.”
Many drivers are initially anxious about driving through roundabouts until they realize roundabouts allow them to travel safely through the intersection without having to stop. Drivers can learn more about how roundabouts work and how to drive through them at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/roundabouts.
Studies have shown that roundabouts improve traffic flow and reduce injury crashes by as much as 75 percent. Several case studies have shown a 20 percent reduction in traffic delays by replacing a traffic signal with a modern roundabout. Roundabouts also eliminate the hardware, maintenance, and electrical costs associated with traffic signals, amounting to an average of $5,000 in savings per year.
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