ARLINGTON — State transportation officials want to know what you think about roundabouts.
Beloved in some circles and scorned in others, roundabouts are fast becoming an alternative to traffic lights and stop signs in Western Washington.
In the future, drivers traveling between I-5 and Highway 9 on 172nd Street NE may have to navigate roundabouts at as many as five intersections that serve Arlington Municipal Airport and several industrial and commercial business parks.
Replacing current traffic signals with roundabouts to reduce congestion is what a recent Department of Transportation study recommends. Right now, though, there’s only enough money on hand to make improvements at the intersection of Highway 9 and 172nd, which is also known as Highway 531.
Daily, more than 16,000 drivers use the intersection. During the past five years about 30 people have been seriously injured in collisions there, most caused when drivers were turning left at the intersection, transportation officials said.
The state has $15.6 million to spend in the next two years to fix that problem. With Arlington’s population expected to increase 75 percent by 2025, it’s time to make a change, Department of Transportation project manager Kerri Woehler recently told the Arlington City Council.
Before transportation officials come up with the final design, drivers and people who live in the area are asked to attend an open house Tuesday evening at Arlington High School. Project designers will be on hand to talk about how a roundabout could make the intersection safer. People also can voice their concerns and learn more about the future of 172nd.
On the congested stretch from the freeway to Highway 9, there were nearly 200 collisions from 2003 to 2007. Most of the accidents that happen in Arlington occur on 172nd during the afternoon commute and most are rear-end collisions, the state study showed.
The intersections on 172nd soon will fail if traffic continues to get worse and improvements aren’t made, Woehler said. A trip from 43rd Avenue NE to 67th Avenue NE that now takes four minutes could take as much 14 minutes in 25 years, she said.
With the possible exception of the intersection at 67th Avenue NE, which is next to a railroad crossing, City Councilman Steve Baker is in favor of the proposed roundabouts.
“They’re great. The only thing I have against roundabouts are the people who don’t know how to drive through them,” Baker said. “People are like sheep and if one person stops in the middle of a roundabout, the next will, too.”
Baker expects some elderly drivers on Tuesday to object to the proposed roundabout at the Highway 9 and 172nd intersection, even though it could alleviate nasty backups in the morning.
“That should be a good roundabout,” he said. “It should slow people down near the high school.”
The city doesn’t have much say in the state’s plans for the road, which is a state highway, public works director James Kelly said. Still city officials are supportive of the proposal.
“Roundabouts are used extensively in Europe and other parts of the country, and safety is the driving force,” Kelly said. “The roundabout is the clear winner over the traffic signal for fuel efficiency, pedestrian safety and fewer delays on the road. They keep the traffic moving.”
The state study of 172nd showed that many truckers who drive to businesses along the road find the roundabout proposal acceptable, Kelly said.
The city would pay for improvement only if elected officials want to widen the sidewalks or add landscaping, he said.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
The state Department of Transportation has scheduled an open house to tell people about proposed improvements to the intersection of Highway 9 and Highway 531 (172nd Street NE). The plan could involve a roundabout at the intersection. The meeting is set for 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Arlington High School, 18821 Crown Ridge Blvd. More info: www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr9/sr531intersection.
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