Weather permitting, the Washington State Department of Transportation plans to open a new roundabout and bridge on the morning of Monday, June 28.
Leading up to that, WSDOT will:
• Permanently close the existing 70th Avenue East Bridge to vehicular traffic Friday, June 25 at 8 p.m.
• Set up a signed detour route that will direct traffic over I-5 via 54th Avenue East to 20th Street East from 8 p.m. Friday, June 25th to 6 a.m. Monday, June 28th.
• Provide temporary pedestrian and bicycle access across I-5 on the old 70th Avenue East Bridge starting the night of June 25th (the shared-use path over the new bridge is scheduled to open by the end of July).
• Close the existing Interurban Trail parking lot on Friday, June 25th at 8 p.m. and open the new parking lot.
Once the new bridge and roundabout are open travelers can expect:
• One lane of traffic in each direction between 20th Street East and the approach to the new bridge as we continue tie-in the bridge to the existing street network.
• Two lanes of traffic over the new bridge and leading up to the new roundabout.
• A fully open two-lane roundabout with two southbound and two northbound lanes and bypass “slip” lanes from northbound SR 99 to the bridge and from the bridge to northbound SR 99. The slip lanes provide direct access to and from the bridge, allowing drivers to bypass the roundabout and improving traffic flow.
• New sidewalks and crosswalks, with pedestrian-activated flashing beacons at the roundabout.
Once crews complete their work near 20th Street East, all lanes and the new 12-foot-wide shared-use path on the bridge will open. That work should be complete later this summer.
WSDOT expects that it will take some time for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists to get used to using the new roundabout, and reminds drivers to:
• Slow down when entering the roundabout; the posted speed limit on SR 99 is 35 mph and a safe roundabout speed is 15 mph.
• Give trucks plenty of space in the roundabout and do not drive next to or attempt to pass trucks in the roundabout. By law, trucks are allowed to straddle lanes in the roundabout.
• Be aware of pedestrians and bicyclists. By law, drivers must yield to pedestrians.
Additional Resources
Learn more on these websites:
https://app.oxblue.com/open/atkinson/WSDOTSR 167 Project website
SR 167 Construction website
SR 167 Construction cameras
Our roundabout blog
WSDOT’s How to drive a Multi-Lane Roundabout video
WSDOT’s roundabout web page
