A study by SCJ Alliance recommends Intercity Transit proceed with the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Martin Way, Meridian Road and Duterrow Road in Lacey.
Presented to the Intercity Transit Authority on Wednesday, June 18, the firm’s recommendation falls in line with the transit agency’s original plan, which was opposed by the residents of the nearby Ridgeview neighborhood.
The proposed roundabout aims to enable buses reaching the end of their route to reverse direction directly at the intersection instead of having them take a longer route.
Due to complaints from Ridgeview residents, the agency decided in June 2024 to expand the scope of the project to consider alternative options for the project.
SCJ Alliance considered three options in its study: a roundabout, a modified signalized intersection with a dedicated U-turn lane for buses, and keeping it as it is.
Patrick Holm of SCJ Alliance said they had four considerations before choosing to recommend the roundabout option.
In terms of safety, Holm said roundabouts are statistically safer than signalized intersections.
According to the consultant, roundabouts have less points for potential collisions. The current configuration of the intersection has 32 conflict points, whereas a roundabout would only have eight.
He added that vehicles at a roundabout travel at slower speeds and at wider gaps from one another. With signalized intersections, vehicles travel at faster speeds and at tighter gaps during a green light, especially as the traffic queue gets longer, according to Holm.
If collisions do happen, Holm said they are less severe due to slower speeds and the angle of collision.
Pedestrian and bicycle crossings are also shorter in roundabouts.
Safety was the primary concern of Ridgeview residents when the roundabout was originally pitched. Residents expressed that with a roundabout, they would have a harder time exiting their neighborhood through Ridgewood Drive, believing that vehicles on Martin Way would not slow down before the intersection like they do right now.
To address this concern, Holm said with a roundabout, there would be no need for the center turn lane in Martin Way, which would provide the space to make an accelerator lane for Ridgeview residents, so they could more safely enter Martin Way.
Another factor the firm considered was the intersection’s impact on operations.
SCJ Alliance modelled traffic volume at the intersection for 2027, when the project is likely to be completed, and further ahead to 2045. The model forecasted how long the queues would be and how long the delay would be for motorists.
For a roundabout, the delay would be less than seconds both in 2027 and 2045. The maximum queue would be 120 feet in 2027 and 205 feet in 2045.
A modified intersection with a U-turn lane for buses would perform worse than the current configuration.
The modified version would result in delays of about 40 seconds in both time periods, and maximum queues of 335 feet in 2027 and 590 feet in 2045.
If they were to keep the intersection as it is, delays would be at around 30 seconds in 2027 and about 40 seconds in 2025, with maximum queues of 335 feet in 2027 and 565 feet in 2045.
In terms of meeting the actual objective of the project, a roundabout would provide the most flexibility, as it would allow buses to turn in all directions. In contrast, the modified configuration with the U-turn lane would allow buses to turn in only one direction.
The firm’s final consideration was the availability of grants. Holm said with the safety element of a roundabout, the transit agency would have an easier time applying for grants.
Holm said a roundabout would cost $4.5 million, while the modified configuration would be $1.3 million.
The next step for the transit agency is to engage in an interlocal agreement with Thruston County for the design, permitting and construction of a roundabout.
Authority member Wendy Goodwin asked if staff have plans to engage with Ridgeview residents through public outreach activities, so they could learn about the project.
Intercity Transit Development Director Peter Stackpole said he has been in communication with residents and even invited a neighborhood representative, who was not able to attend the June 18 meeting.
Goodwin said “change is hard,” so such initiatives would allow them to better explain the advantages of the roundabout.
Stackpole also acknowledged a previous suggestion by Ridgeview residents to allow buses to reverse direction near a recreational vehicle park before the entrance to Interstate 5. He said since the location is a mile away from the intersection, implementing it year-round would lead to substantial operational costs.
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PBN4884
I moved here a couple years ago and this intersection was under construction. I feel bad for the resident nearby. I hope it's not as disruptive as it seems it will be. Also, since the buses are turning around there, will they add stops going west in that area? I don't see any until after Marvin Road.
Monday, June 23 Report this
Grateful
I sent in a public comment previously, objecting, as did several of my neighbors (we do not live in Ridgeview, nor were we contacted by Intercity). It appears Intercity Transit just wants their bus station at this intersection, apparently for the new hydrogen infrastructure, and has gotten an entity to rubber-stamp their plan. There is no "advantage" to our area, which is not serviced by Intercity and will have increased travel times and travel distances. Goodwin's patronizing comment appears to reflect a lack of understanding of our repeatedly expressed concerns.
The responsive option for local residents (and the fire station that services the area, which serves the northeast corner of the intersection and is also negatively impacted with no other streets that cross Martin in that area) appears to be to have the county put a stop light at the intersection of Ridgeview and Martin, on the hill, so that people can make left turns at that intersection (which is the actual problem being swept under the rug by Intercity).
Tuesday, June 24 Report this
johngreen
The article didn't say how many millions of dollars this would cost for a roundabout for bus drivers convenience and over the objections of local residents. This would be a horrible disruption of traffic in the area, semis leaving the warehouses, residents trying to get onto I5, not to mention local traffic. These millions of dollars would be better spent repairing our sidewalks which are in bad shape and people are being injured in falls.
This is also not in keeping with the city's comprehensive plan presented recently by the city to Jubilee residents recently.
We need to contact our city council to oppose this boondoggle.
John Green
Tuesday, June 24 Report this
Grateful
John, we've tried.
The problem for those living in the area is turning left from Ridgeview (a public street) onto Martin heading west. As is, there are days the traffic is backed up blocking the Ridgeview intersection from both directions, and reducing the number of lanes at Meridian will just make it worse. It is better for the bus to add a roundabout and eliminate the turn entirely, and pretend to "help" by adding a lane so we can go down the hill and back on I5 to get to Costco or wherever, or drive a longer distance to get to Steilacoom and back over to Martin. This will significantly increase the travel for many residents, but they don't want the bus to have to drive the extra almost-a-mile down Meridian, use the existing roundabout at Orion, and reverse course. Somehow that option was ignored above.
This has nothing to do with saving the environment, it has to do with bureaucratic power.
Wednesday, June 25 Report this
citizenken
Everyone thinks they're a traffic engineer, and a constitutional scholar.
Thursday, June 26 Report this