The intersection between at Martin Way and Meridian Road will be converted into a roundabout.
Intercity Transit’s (IT) board of directors authorized General Manager Emily Bergkamp on Wednesday, February 7, to sign a contract with SCJ Alliance for $798,124 to design and conduct preliminary engineering work on the roundabout.
Part of the project is to provide a bus station near the roundabout and other pedestrian improvements.
Development director Peter Stackpole explained that the intersection is important, as it is the easternmost entrance to Lacey's urban growth area. Stackpole added that it will also serve as an anchor point to IT’s primary east-west urban corridor, which extends to the Capitol Mall in the other direction.
There is currently transit service for the entire length of Martin Way, but what Stackpole described as “high-quality service” ends at Marvin Road.
Stackpole meant that while IT can provide outbound services up to Meridian Road, IT cannot currently provide inbound services as buses take too long to loop back and begin inbound trips from Meridian Road.
A roundabout at the intersection would allow buses to reverse direction and begin westward trips, said Stackpole.
Stackpole also spoke in general about the significance of Martin Way, saying that it “connects some of the region's most ethnically, racially and economically diverse neighborhoods."
“We have 15-minute headways on the 6.2-mile corridor with route 62A and B. And those are some of our highest ridership routes. They in fact account for about 30 to 40% of total system ridership,” Stackpole added.
IT has secured $1.6 million in state and federal government grants to fund the project. Sources of the grants include the state’s bus and bus facility grant program and the Federal Transit Administration’s surface transportation block grant program.
4 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Honestyandrealityguy
Stupid
Monday, February 12 Report this
KarenM
Overall, roundabouts can be an improvement for all users. In this case, the users include transit riders who will see increased convenience on this route.
When they are designed correctly, roundabouts can help keep traffic moving smoothly rather than idling at traffic lights. I certainly hope this one is designed to create a slow and respectful intersection. Roundabouts have been proven to lower the amount of injury and damage even if a collision does occur.
It is very important that these roundabouts be designed for safe crossing by people who are walking. With two lane roundabouts speeds can be higher, which creates a difficult crossing for walkers.
Monday, February 12 Report this
chezeve
For all the increased housing that’s going to be built in the near future & some happening now, I can’t imagine this roundabout being helpful. Traffic at the Martin Way, Dutterow/ Meridian intersection is busy. People are impatient. There’s a lot of traffic already & cars speed up & down that intersection towards the freeway exit at Nisqually. During peak season when traffic is heaviest on the freeway , so are traffic accidents. Last summer there were more logjams of vehicles overflowing from the freeway onto Martin Way & Steilacoom over to Britton Parkway. For the first time since living in this location for decades , our community at Ridgeview Dr. was impassable for over 3 hours on a weekend . We were socked in & couldn’t leave our development by the only 2 exit points. Overflow traffic was funneling through our residential area thinking they’d escape the bumper to bumper scenario playing out on Martin Way E . It tied up all the arteries in & around the eastern part of Hawks Prairie. No one wanted to yield to another car when the line wasn’t advancing. It was bad. I just don’t see how a roundabout will improve what’s already becoming a heavily trafficked area that will only get worse with time.
Tuesday, February 13 Report this
Claire
Traffic will become horrific once the 2 mega-apartment complexes at 31st NE and Willamette Dr NE open. What planning has the City of Lacey conducted for this eventuality?
Tuesday, February 13 Report this