By Pepper Fisher

PORT ANGELES – Roundabouts are suddenly, more than ever, a topic of conversation on the Olympic Peninsula. We reported in April the Washington State Dept. of Transportation (WSDOT) is taking a hard look at adding two or more roundabouts along Highway 101 between Port Angeles and Sequim. In addition, two roundabouts are currently under construction just west of the Hood Canal Bridge.

The issue is safety. WSDOT’s Doug Adamson told KONP it’s all related to a future paving project on 101. The paving project is going through what’s called a Complete Streets analysis. Complete Streets is part of new legislation that directs planners to look at ways to improve highway safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

The work is not going to happen overnight. No funding for construction has been identified, though the planning and design work continues.

Even so, the Chambers of Commerce of Port Angeles, Sequim and Forks, along with multiple business owners and other agencies, are asking WSDOT to pump the brakes on the plan until they can get some clarity on a host of issues they believe need to be addressed. Port Angeles Chamber Director Marc Abshire thinks there is no room for error when it comes to highway planning in Clallam County.

“Here, we have one road and there are no other options. And so, it’s even more critical that we get it right, and that we fully understand the impact of anything that’s done to the highway in our region. And we feel like what we’re trying to do is get ahead of this before it gets too far along in their planning processes, and come up with a position that we can share with our representatives in Olympia, with the Department of Transportation directly, and with our local community, so that everybody kind of understands how our lives may or may not be impacted by putting roundabouts on Highway 101.”

Abshire and others say they’re all for making our roads safer for everybody, but when it comes to fatal crashes along that section highway, there’s concern that the DOT is working to fix a problem that barely exists and appears to be getting better annually.

Complete Streets also looks at bicycle and pedestrian safety along 101, but Abshire points out that the Olympic Discovery Trail, which runs parallel to the highway, already has much of that covered.

Other issues raised include the needs of first responders and how roundabouts will affect their ability to get through traffic, and what effect roundabouts will have on local businesses such as Hermann Brothers, Interfor and McKinley Paper, who depend on a smooth-running freight corridor.

Abshire and the other Chambers of Commerce just want to make sure all of these things are thoughtfully considered before millions of dollars are spent to make long-term changes.

“There’s another state agency that is predicting what our population is going to be in 10 years, and it’s quite a bit higher than it is now. And we believe that the population 10 years from now, based on the projections of the state of Washington, will make those roundabouts obsolete. In other words, they won’t be able to handle the population that’s being projected by a different state agency than the Department of Transportation. So, we just want them to work together with their other agencies to make sure whatever they’re spending their money on is going to be good for us 10 or 20 years from now, and not just next year.”

WSDOT plans to host an online open house this July to take public feedback on the proposed changes. Exact dates have not been announced.