Roundabout construction at SR 17 and Grape Dr. to start next week

MOSES LAKE — Construction is scheduled to start Monday on a new roughly $2.3 million roundabout at the intersection of State Route 17 and Grape Drive in Moses Lake.

Construction is expected to take about four months, with completion scheduled for August, according to a press release from the Washington Department of Transportation.

Traffic on SR 17 will be reduced to one lane during the initial phases of construction, the press release said. Traffic will be controlled by flaggers at night.

Through traffic and right turns will be allowed during some phases of construction, but left turns will be restricted.

Detour routes will be available, along Stratford Road to Maple Drive NE, and from Stratford Road to Valley Road to Airway Drive NE. The WSDOT will install signs for the detour routes.

The intersection will be two lanes in each direction on SR 17, and one lane in each direction on Grape Drive. North Grape Drive (the Home Depot side of the intersection) will have a right turn only lane. The roundabout will be designed with traffic separators to make it easier to navigate.

“A roundabout was selected here because they are designed to make intersections safer and more efficient for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists,” the press release said.

WSDOT staff have previously stated that the intersections are safer because the likelihood of fatal collisions is lower at roundabouts with side impacts than T-intersections with more serious collisions.

“The intersection of SR 17 and Grape Drive has three times as many crashes that cause injury as other intersections of similar configuration and traffic counts in the state,” it said.

Jeff Deal, WSDOT project engineer, said in an earlier interview that roundabouts force drivers to slow down, and accidents are more likely to be fender-benders than direct collisions in the intersection.

Cars already in the roundabout have the right of way, and drivers yield to cars coming from the left. Drivers shouldn’t change lanes, and shouldn’t stop in the roundabout. Drivers should avoid driving next to oversize vehicles, according to information from DOT.

Trucks need the width of the roundabout to navigate it, so drivers should yield to the semis and give them room on each side.

Crosswalks are part of the project, and the roundabout will have triangular islands between lanes to give pedestrians a place to wait for traffic. Bicycle riders can ride through the roundabout with the traffic, or walk their bikes through the pedestrian crosswalks.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Additional information has been incorporated into the story above such as the cost of the project and other details provided by WSDOT.