Issaquah installing a roundabout at Parkway and 43rd
June 25, 2009
By J.B. Wogan
New: June 25, 10:05 a.m.
Add one more road project to the list of major construction in the Sammamish area this summer. The city of Issaquah is installing a roundabout at the intersection of East Lake Sammamish Parkway and Southeast 43rd Way, a major gateway to Sammamish.
Bob Brock, Issaquah’s public works engineering director, said the $1.4 million project will add a two-lane roundabout with three access points, sidewalks and a bypass lane for motorists going south on East Lake Sammamish Parkway.
The roundabout will eliminate the traffic light at East Lake Sammamish Parkway and 43rd Street. Graphic courtesy city of Issaquah
An estimated 255 homeowners moving into Mallard Bay and Little Duck developments — next to the intersection — will pay for the construction through a special property tax. The city hopes to finish the roundabout by mid-October, Brock said.
Lane closures are possible between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday-Friday, according to the city of Issaquah’s Web site.
Brock said the cities of Issaquah and Sammamish have been coordinating their road construction projects and have tried to keep the public informed about construction hours and lane closures.
The plan to place a roundabout at the intersection dates back to a report by a consultant in 2005. The report said that a roundabout would be superior to an upgraded traffic signal in terms of safety and traffic flow. With a traffic signal, the intersection would have been failing to meet traffic capacity in 20 years, Brock said.
For more information on the project, contact Project Manager Todd Christensen at 837-3449 or toddc@ci.issaquah.wa.us.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
Comments
One Response to “Issaquah installing a roundabout at Parkway and 43rd”
Got something to say?
Visit the area where this roundabout is being built. You will be easily able to see why it is being built.
The condo/rental housing development on the corner will have direct access to the roundabout, in equal access with the large numbers of Sammamish and East Lake residents using this main arterial. Obviously, the developer paid for some portion of the construction to make it a more appealing sell to the potential residents of this “special” community. Without it, these residents could hardly get on the road. Having the roundabout certainly made the developer money. What did the residents get?
If you think roundabouts are efficient, I urge you to visit the one on Westlake Sammamish at 4:30 to 6PM on any weekday and then visit the proposed site for this new one.
It seems that roundabouts are built on the premise that people don’t speed, are courteous, and like to merge. Generally, I don’t see those behaviors when I go up or down 43rd; It seems more like a Indy racetrack, with points awarded for how many people that can be cut off. I see the same behavior from drivers that continue down East Lake as well. If you don’t believe it, drive 40 MPH on 43rd and see how many times you have a tailgater in your backseat or how many drivers try to take off the front of your vehicle while cutting you off..
I’m sure that these same people will do much better in a roundabout where stopping is optional rather than a red light where that stop is required.
Where were our interests represented when this “deal” was made?
Who paid for the consultant in 2005?
Who voted for this?
Where did the people who voted for this live?