Multi-lane roundabout planned for busy rural Whatcom County intersection
A multi-lane roundabout is planned next year for the intersection of Smith and Hannegan roads, a pair of busy routes for travelers heading north and east of Bellingham.
Construction on the nearly $5 million project is scheduled to start in June and last through August, Whatcom County Public Works Department spokeswoman Mandy Feutz told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
Right of way deals have been reached with all property owners on the 7-acre site, Public Works Director ELizabeth Kosa told the Whatcom County Council at a committee meeting Tuesday.
A former schoolhouse at the southwest corner of the intersection, now owned by the Victor Community Club, is not affected by construction, Feutz said.
Property acquisition costs were $775,000, with constriction costs set at $4.2 million, she said.
Nearly $4 million of the cost is being paid with federal grants, with the rest coming from county road funds.
Traffic counts in 2019 show that Hannegan Road had a daily volume of 13,300 cars and trucks at the Smith Road intersection, and Smith Road had a daily volume of 7,800, Feutz said.
That intersection will close for about one month during construction, starting just after Independence Day and ending before the Northwest Washington Fair in Lynden.
