Confusing and Dangerous Roundabout Getting Revamped
The wildly confusing and seemingly dangerous Steptoe/240 roundabout is finally getting a much needed makeover beginning today!
According to the State Department of Transportation:
Starting Monday, July 11, drivers will experience minor delays at night from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. as the Washington State Department of Transportation and contractor crews modify striping and curbing in the roundabout. Crews are switching from a double lane to a single lane entrance to the roundabout along Columbia Park Trail. Crews are also adding chicanes or “s” shaped curves to reduce speed entering the roundabout.
Work to improve the roundabout will take about three weeks and is scheduled for completion in early August.
Steptoe was one of the first two-lane roundabouts built on a state highway in eastern Washington in 2007. Since then, roundabout designs have improved to increase safety and mobility. The new improvements will reduce the speed which will make the roundabout easier to navigate with fewer collisions.
Just FYI: there were 129 fender-bender accidents recorded between 2011 and 2013 in the roundabout!