The Montesano City Council soon will be asked to approve a traffic revision plan. The traffic revision would address concerns at the intersection where the Highway 12 westbound off-ramp meets State Route 107.
A conceptual design by the city’s traffic engineer suggests a traffic revision that realigns the intersection and separates traffic turning right toward downtown. The lane to turn left or continue into Monte Square’s parking lot is angled to allow for easy turning for semi trucks, a concern council members have repeatedly raised.
A traffic island would separate the two lanes of traffic using the off-ramp. Cross walks would navigate pedestrians across State Route 107 and to the island where another crosswalk would send pedestrians to a new sidewalk extending south along the east side of State Route 107.
“It has been a long process from August 2016, but with a vigorous exploration of options and a lot of work, our traffic engineer, public works director Mike Olden and the state Department of Transportation have us on the right track,” Mayor Vini Samuel said in a press release. “The concept plan fixes a misaligned intersection and helps direct traffic where they want to go, whether they’re headed to the downtown core or south toward Raymond.”
Initially, a conceptual drawing showed a roundabout at the intersection. That drawing led to ongoing disputes between some members of the community and the city. Opposition to a roundabout has been vocal at city meetings.
Last month, the Montesano City Council agreed to draft a letter to the state Department of Transportation outlining features they don’t want to see in a traffic revision at the intersection.
The city says the project is a state Department of Transportation (DOT) project, however the DOT has said it’s a city project. The state approved funding for the traffic revision, and that funding has been funneled to DOT. When a project is selected by the city, DOT will review the revision and release the funding to the city.
The traffic revision could be constructed August through October this year.
