Date:
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Contact:
Todd Harrison - Asst. Regional Administrator - 360-757-5992 (Burlington)
Dave Chesson - Communications - 360-757-5970 (Burlington)
ANACORTES – The opinion poll results are in; drivers favor a roundabout at one of Skagit County’s busiest intersections.
In November, WSDOT engineers invited drivers and residents to review and comment on six improvement options for the SR 20 Sharpes Corner intersection near Anacortes.
When respondents were asked which improvement option they preferred, the roundabout garnered 35 percent of the votes, while the west-to-south flyover ramp received 21 percent of the votes. The remaining four options each received less than 10 percent of the votes.
But, when respondents were asked if they would support the roundabout, 41 percent said yes and 39 percent said no. And, when asked if they would support the west-to-south flyover ramp, 39 percent said yes and 32 percent said no. These statistics were compiled from the 100-plus responses received at the open house.
“When compared against the other five options, the roundabout was favored by respondents,” said WSDOT Engineer Dawn Yankauskas. “However, when only asked if they would support the roundabout, the yes and no votes were nearly equal.”
Similar results were tallied from the nearly 70 e-mails that WSDOT received: 35 percent supported the roundabout, while the eastbound flyover came in second with 12 percent of the vote.
“This doesn’t make the roundabout a slam dunk. We will do a value engineering study to make sure we are moving in the right direction,” said Todd Harrison, asst. regional administrator for WSDOT. “We want to be very thorough before we make the final decision.”
Later this month, WSDOT will assemble a group of engineering experts and local officials involved in transportation planning to scrutinize the intersection designs. The study should help WSDOT pick the best option for the intersection as well as offer ways to reduce costs, enhance safety, and reduce impacts on local communities and the environment. The comments received from the public will be incorporated into the study.
While the formal comment period ended January 4, WSDOT says they will still accept comments throughout the duration of the project. Visit the project Web page – www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr20/sharpescornerinterchange/ - for more details, results from the open house survey and contact information.
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