Roundabout planned for Ballinger Way
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
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| Ballinger Way at 40th Pl will be a roundabout Photo courtesy City of Lake Forest Park |
By Tracy Furutani
Though the proposed city of Shoreline roundabouts for the off- and on-ramps of Interstate 5 at NE 145th St has garnered more attention, there is a roundabout planned at Ballinger Way NE and 40th Place NE in Lake Forest Park slated to open around the same time.
Consultant selection and design will begin in the next few months, according to LFP City Engineer Neil Jensen, with property acquisition occurring later this year and into next year. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2022.
Ballinger Way NE is under Washington State Department of Transportation jurisdiction, but the city will be approving the design and construction of the roundabout, he said.
The project’s design will be funded by a $650,000 earmark from the state Department of Transportation’s budget, though these funds are being temporarily held as the consequences of the voter-approved Initiative 976 are assessed.
“It’s one of the most dangerous intersections [in Lake Forest Park],” said City Councilmember Tom French, who is a member of the Budget and Finance Committee which oversees capital projects like roundabouts.
“We’re behind in safety improvements,” he said, adding that the city-commissioned 2018 Safe Highways report recommended a roundabout for this intersection.
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| Design for 40th Pl / Ballinger roundabout Design courtesy City of Lake Forest Park |
The cost of construction will be covered by a $2.56 million state Transportation Improvement Board grant, pending City Council approval at their February 13 meeting.
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4 comments:
I'm curious on why are opting for a roundabout vs a traffic light. How would the pedestrian and bike traffic navigate the roundabout?
What exact problem is being solved by spending 2.56 million on this?
Good news. A roundabout will work much better than a traffic light. Lights clog traffic.
Here we go again! Like every summer for the last 4 years ballinger way freeway entrance is going to be completely unusable. Drove there getting off work tonight and as always, no clear signage until you’re already there and now no choice but to go south to go north. Thing is I don’t really see it improving— they tear it up in summer and then it looks like garbage all year until the next summer when they tear it up some more. New roundabout project or whatever will probably extend it out til the end of the decade. Would love to see construction actually FINISH a project around here someday.
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