Project overview
The existing traffic signal at the Bethel/Bay/Maple intersection reached the end of its useful life. Following research and analysis, WSDOT replaced the existing traffic signal with a single-lane roundabout.
Timeline
Summer 2023 - Spring 2024
Project status
Completed
Funding
$3.2 million
Project hotline
What to expect
Major construction has ended.
Location of SR 166 - Bethel/Bay/Maple intersection - Roundabout
Due to a number of benefits, WSDOT currently has more the 100 roundabouts on other state highways in Washington. These benefits include helping reduce the potential for crashes while keeping traffic moving. There are several reasons why roundabouts help reduce the likelihood and severity of collisions:
- Low travel speeds – Drivers must slow down and yield to traffic before entering a roundabout. Speeds in the roundabout are typically between 15 and 20 miles per hour. The collisions that occur in roundabouts are typically minor and cause few injuries since they occur at such low speeds.
- No light to beat – Roundabouts are designed to promote a continuous flow of traffic. Drivers need only yield to traffic before entering a roundabout; if there is no traffic in the roundabout, drivers are not required to stop. Because traffic is constantly flowing through the intersection, drivers don't have the incentive to speed up to try and "beat the light," like they might at a traditional intersection.
- One-way travel – Roads entering a roundabout are gently curved to direct drivers into the intersection and help them travel counterclockwise around the roundabout. The curved roads and one-way travel around the roundabout eliminate the possibility for T-bone and head-on collisions.