Othello roundabout construction rescheduled
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years AGO
Cars turn left in two directions at the intersection of SR 17 and Cunningham Road at Othello Monday. A Washington State Department of Transportation project to build a roundabout at the intersection has been pushed back to 2024.
CHERYL SCHWEIZER/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Construction of the proposed roundabout at the intersection of State Route 17 and Cunningham Road has been delayed. The image above shows the current configuration of the busy intersection. Washington Department of Transportation officials say that there are fewer fatalities at roundabouts, which is why they’ve been the choice for certain busy intersections in recent years.
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | March 14, 2023 5:31 PM
OTHELLO — Construction of a roundabout at Cunningham Road and State Route 17 in Othello, originally scheduled for 2023, has been delayed to 2024 or 2025.
Lauren Loebsack, North Central region communications manager for the Washington State Department of Transportation, wrote that the project is in the design phase in 2023.
“We are working on 60% design this spring,” Loebsack wrote in response to an email from the Herald.
Sixty percent design means the design of the basic concept of the project, according to information on the WSDOT website. It includes cost estimates, a detailed rendition of traffic lane configurations, the proposed relocation of utility lines if needed, construction phases and traffic control measures while the work is underway, among other details.
Department of Transportation officials announced in 2021 that the intersection would be getting a roundabout. At the time, DOT officials said the intersection had been identified as one with a high number of injury accidents. The analysis showed that the highest number of injury accidents involved drivers crossing SR 17.
The intersection has been modified over time, with left turn lanes for northbound and southbound traffic and a right turn lane for southbound traffic. The speed limit was dropped to 50 miles per hour and the intersection was reworked to improve sight lines, said James Reynolds of the WSDOT in a 2021 interview.
The Cunningham Road roundabout will be delayed, but plenty of other road work is scheduled for summer 2023.
Projects scheduled include resurfacing SR 17 from Interstate 90 to Randolph Road, upgrades to the Vantage Bridge and a roundabout at the intersection of State Route 28 and White Trail Road near Quincy
“It’s a huge construction season for our region,” Loebsack wrote.
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