OLYMPIA — A permanent fix for getting people safely off I-5 and on their way to Stanwood and Camano Island is on the way, and it’s a solution that won’t have drivers running around in circles.

A bid by the state Department of Transportation to use roundabouts to get traffic off I-5 and onto Highway 532 is dead, killed by opposition from residents.

The $7.7 million plan to use roundabouts to keep traffic from stacking up on I-5 has been replaced with a plan to install two traffic lights, and to add more lanes for cars to stack up on Highway 532 under I-5. The money from the roundabouts will be moved over to pay for the traffic lights and added lanes.

That’s according to Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, who led the bid for the switch announced on Friday.

"People were just irate," Haugen said.

Many worried that trucks would have trouble navigating the turns, despite engineers’ assurances to the contrary, Haugen said.

"I always had questions about the roundabouts," said Matt McCune, the former Stanwood mayor who worked for the switch.

"The traffic is getting heavy up here," McCune said. "A lot of people are moving in here. Whatever we can do to get people home safely is the thing to do."

The project was given high priority because of safety concerns and high traffic volumes. The interchange is the only freeway access for Camano Island’s more than 16,000 residents and the main access for thousands more in the Stanwood area.

"There are approximately 1,300 cars per hour that use that intersection during the rush hours — 16,000 a day," Haugen said. "That’s a lot."

Traffic in the afternoon used to back up dangerously onto northbound I-5 before a temporary signal was installed in 2002.

The park-and-ride lot will get major improvements as part of the project, and state officials can begin acquiring land for future expansions.

Construction will begin in March 2006 and should finish by October of that year.

Herald reporter Lukas Velush contributed to this report. Reporter Scott Morris: 425-339-3292 or smorris@heraldnet.com.

What happened: Included in the state’s list of transportation projects to be funded by a nickel-a-gallon gas tax passed in 2003 was $7.7 million for interchange improvements at I-5 and Highway 532 east of Stanwood.

What’s new: State engineers gave up on design plans that included roundabouts on either side of I-5, opting instead for traffic signals.

What’s next: Design work can begin now that plans are finalized. The new signals should go up in 2006.

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