Meeting tomorrow about SR 243 changes

MATTAWA - Persons interested in details about the planned Highway 243-Road 24 SW roundabout are invited to a meeting tomorrow evening at Wahluke High School.

The Wednesday, Jan. 23, open house will be conducted by the Washington State Department of Transportation from 4-6 p.m. The WSDOT will share proposed designs for intersection improvement, including a roundabout.

The traffic safety improvement project is scheduled to be advertised for private contractor bids on June 26, with a bid opening a month later and construction expected later in the year.

According to the WSDOT, this Safety Improvement-Collision Prevention Project could build a single-lane roundabout. It would include amber warning lights well in advance of the intersection.

The SR 243 and Road 24 SW intersection, which handles an average of 4,400 vehicles per day, is experiencing a large number of crashes, according to the WSDOT. During the five years from Jan. 1, 2007 to Jan. 1, 2012 there were 21 collisions involving 43 vehicles. Nine of those crashes resulted in two fatalities and 22 serious injuries.

This project is anticipated to decrease the frequency and severity of accidents if the current preferred alternative - a roundabout - is constructed, the WSOT said.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, roundabouts have been shown to reduce fatal collisions by 90 percent, injury collisions by 80 percent and total collisions by almost 40 percent.

The estimated project cost is $1.88 million.