Date:  Monday, April 25, 2011

Contact: Dustin Terpening, communications, 360-757-5997 (Burlington)
Chris Damitio, project engineer, 360-788-7403 (Bellingham)

Community meeting on May 10 to discuss project plans

LYNDEN – While they’re still not the norm, roundabouts are increasing in number across the state because they make travel safer. Two more roundabouts are planned for busy intersections along Badger Road (State Route 546) in Lynden.

The Washington State Department of Transportation is designing single-lane roundabouts for the intersections of Depot Road and Bender Road, and plans to build them in 2013.

“We’ve had bad crashes at these intersections in recent years,” said Project Engineer Chris Damitio. “The kind of crashes where people get seriously hurt, like rear-end and T-bone crashes. And we believe roundabouts are the right fix.”

Roundabouts can reduce injury collisions by 70 percent and fatal crashes by 90 percent, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. They also reduce delays and keep traffic moving.

Anyone interested in learning more about the project is invited to a community open house 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 10, at Lynden City Hall annex, 205 4th St., Lynden, WA 98264. Engineers will be available to answer questions and share project details. Feel free to arrive at any time; there will be no formal presentations.

For those unable to attend the open house, more details and an online comment form are available on the project website.

This project is funded with $8 million from the federal Coordinated Border Infrastructure Program with the intention of improving border-area highways. Badger Road is of particular importance because it is a designated freight route that parallels the U.S./Canada border.

The meeting site is accessible to persons with disabilities. Accommodations for people with disabilities can be arranged in advance by calling Dustin Terpening at 360-757-5997.

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