Roundabout construction to begin in Kendall July 27

Mount Baker Highway and Kendall Road will remain open while crews begin work building a new roundabout at their intersection by the Kendall library on Monday, July 27.

However, drivers will need to look out for changes during the work. Stop signs will be in place to mark a three-way junction of the roads, and flaggers will be on site 24 hours a day to direct traffic near the work zone.

Kendall Road, also known as State Route 547, will be reduced to one lane near the site, and the north curve of Mount Baker Highway will be closed throughout construction.

Once construction is complete, the large curve of Mount Baker Highway, also known as State Route 542, will be removed and drivers will instead be directed to the roundabout.

The $2.6 million project at one time raised concern over the potential fate of a a small, nondenominational chapel located in the triangle formed by Mount Baker Highway and Kendall Road. Kendall Chapel, which has stood in its location since 1901, will not be demolished. Instead, the roundabout is being constructed west of the church.

Adding a roundabout is expected to move traffic through the intersection quicker and with less congestion and risk of collisions. The intersection of Mount Baker Highway and Kendall Road had 12 collisions between 2009 and 2013, some of which resulted in serious injuries, according

Construction is expected to be complete by fall. More about the project can be found by going to wsdot.wa.gov and searching for “Kendall.”

Libby Keller can be reached at 360-715-2242 or libby.keller@bellinghamherald.com.

This story was originally published July 25, 2015 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Roundabout construction to begin in Kendall July 27."