GRANITE FALLS — A new roundabout just west of Granite Falls is a sign of things to come.
Previously, the intersection at 84th Street NE and 163rd Avenue NE was controlled by a two-way stop. Between 2010 and 2019, cars crashed there 25 times, according to a county report. Ten of those led to injury.
State funds paid for the $2.1 million project at the intersection.
The roundabout is part of a county effort to prioritize safety projects. The 84th Street NE corridor is a target for improvements, including another roundabout.
Snohomish County is looking to build another at the intersection of 84th Street NE and and 123rd Avenue NE. That intersection is also controlled with a two-way stop. It’s slated for construction in 2026.
One of the biggest hurdles on the new roundabout was utility poles, said Mike Randall, a county project manager. Before the roundabout, poles lined the road. In their previous configuration, a pole would have been required smack dab in the middle of the roundabout.
Snohomish County Public Utility District crews were able to reconfigure the power lines to go around the new roundabout.
“That was a challenge to figure out,” Randall said.
The road is used heavily by large trucks, as Granite Falls is home to a variety of heavy industrial businesses — namely gravel. Between 11,000 and 14,000 vehicles use the intersection daily and a 2019 county study found trucks hauling a load accounted for 15% of that traffic.
Jordan Hansen: 425-339-3046; jordan.hansen@heraldnet.com; X: @jordyhansen.
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