(Construction zone is colored, above)
Construction of a new traffic roundabout at Commercial Ave. and Highway 20 enters Anacortes, will close that intersection for the next month or so starting Wednesday morning.
Traffic coming into Anacortes will be routed to R Ave., then back onto Commercial Ave. at 32nd St. Traffic heading out of town should use R Ave., or Commercial Ave., then turn at 32nd St. and head over to R. If you’ve driven out of town or into town in the past week, you’ve seen the start of construction.
Some City Council members groused at a recent Council meeting, saying that July isn’t the best time to disrupt the main street into town, but the price is right. Nick Petrish said “the timing is poor, but, given the cost, hopefully the citizens will be minimally inconvenienced.”
The city had originally estimated the cost at $1.4 million, but the winning bid came in at just over $900,000. The state is picking up roughly half the cost.
Council member Bill Turner said “This will be great for Anacortes.” He added “I feel the pain” of those businesses at the south end of Commercial who may suffer because of less traffic during a popular tourist month.
Signs will advise drivers that all local businesses will remain open during construction. A well-marked detour route will direct traffic around the intersection using R Avenue and 32nd Street. Crews have installed a temporary traffic signal at the intersection of R Avenue and 32nd Street to help the flow of traffic during construction.