SR 203, NE 124 - Novelty Rd. Vic. Roundabout
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King County
We built a roundabout at the intersection of State Route 203 and NE 124th Street, south of Duvall, to enhance safety and improve traffic flow. Previously, drivers on NE 124th Street stopped at stop signs and waited for breaks in through traffic on SR 203, which traveled at 55 miles per hour and was not required to stop. These waits were often significant, particularly during rush hours. In addition, a relatively high number of accidents occurred at this intersection, including dangerous conflicts between drivers crossing SR 203 or turning left and oncoming traffic.
The newly opened roundabout now funnels traffic from several directions in and out of an oval-shaped intersection. Drivers simply yield rather than stop at signs or a traffic light. This virtually eliminated both traffic delays for NE 124th Street drivers and the chance of serious accidents. As a result, evening commute times for drivers on NE 124th have been reduced by almost ten minutes.
We also constructed areas of safe refuge for pedestrians and bicyclists, built new turn lanes, improved drainage systems, added curbs, enhanced signing and pavement striping, built a wetland, and increased the area's capacity to store water during floods.
Construction Summary
WSDOT and Wilder Construction Co. anticipated challenges and quickly worked through them to complete this project slightly ahead of schedule. We forestalled cost overruns and delays by making minor changes to the design before starting construction.
Changes included implementing a new traffic control plan, which moved all traffic to one side of the work area to enhance safety for drivers and workers; adding removal of a rail spur to the project during construction; revising landscape plans; importing suitable fill; and adding solar-powered flashing beacons to "roundabout ahead" signs.
Improved communication between WSDOT and our contractor might have prevented one problem. Crews overcleared an area along one side of the Snoqualmie Valley Trail because clearing stakes were set incorrectly and we didn't check them against our plans and permits.
The expected total payments to the contractor will be $261,000 over the awarded $1.54 million . This is largely due to changes that will ultimately fulfill our requirement to provide storage for flood water that was displaced by our construction. Another contributor was a quantity overrun in fill material due to unsuitable native material and miscalculation of the quantity needed.
Contractor:
Wilder Construction Co., Everett, Washington
WSDOT Contact:
Brian Dobbins
Phone: 425-956-2100
E-mail: dobbinb@wsdot.wa.gov
More information on the SR 203 - NE 124th/Novelty Road Vicinity Roundabout project.
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