Roundabout planned for intersection near Quincy

QUINCY — Planning is underway for a roundabout at the intersection of state Route 28 and White Trail Road, three miles west of Quincy.

James Reynolds, an engineer with the north-central region of the Washington State Department of Transportation, said design and construction will cost about $2.5 million.

“We’re hoping to have this built in the summer of 2022,” he said.

White Trail Road bypasses Quincy and gets a lot of use from drivers traveling to and from the Wenatchee area. The traffic has led to problems at that intersection, Reynolds said.

“There are a lot of near-misses and collisions,” he said.

A roundabout was considered the best solution based on the location, traffic volume and traffic concerns.

Roundabouts reduce fatalities and serious injuries, Reynolds said, because even if there is an accident, drivers are going at lower speeds.

“It’s a series of curves that you have to slow down (to navigate),” he said. “It slows you down as you go through it.”

It’s designed so cars and trucks traverse at about 25 miles per hour.

Once drivers get used to and know how to use them, roundabouts are effective, Reynolds said. Even if drivers don’t know how to use them, they still slow down traffic.

The White Trail Road roundabout will have curbs similar to the roundabout at the intersection of 13th Avenue Southwest and state Route 28 in Quincy. It will be one lane in each direction rather than two. Reynolds said there isn’t enough traffic at White Trail Road to warrant a two-lane roundabout.