Roundabout construction nears

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The city will close the main entrance to the city, where highway 20 meets Commercial Ave., for a month this summer to construct a roundabout. 

The city says the highway 20-Commercial intersection is the city’s number 1 accident location and that the roundabout will improve local access to and from the highway, significantly reduce accidents there.

The city expects the intersection to be closed during the month of July.

Eric Shjarback, Assistant City Engineer, says “The roundabout will expedite your trip home from the highway with virtually no waiting at the westbound stop sign.  When traveling north on Commercial Ave. the route through the intersection will be greatly simplified. The design will allow for traffic turning left to enter the roundabout in an organized, calm manner, which should allow drivers to find a suitable gap in traffic, enter the roundabout, and exit going north.”
 
The intersection will be much more accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the
highway to go north or to the east towards the Tommy Thompson Trail.
 
The roundabout will provide an entrance into our City. There will be landscaping on the
approaches to the intersection as well as the center of the intersection. The Anacortes Arts Commission is exploring the possibility of some sort of sculpture in the center of the roundabout.
 
In a brochure, the city said “The roundabout will result in less than half the delay of a traffic signal, reducing vehicle emissions and fuel consumption.” The brochure says the circular flow of traffic eliminates head-on and right-angle collisions. Three right-angle and 14 sideswipe collisions involving the southbound dual left-turn traffic have occurred at this intersection.

The city will hold an open house to explain the roundabout at City Hall on Monday, from 4-7 pm.