The WSDOT announced today that the I-5/Slater Road compact roundabouts are to get upgrades.
The three compact roundabouts on Slater Road near I-5 north of Bellingham were completed last month and almost immediately WSDOT began to hear that the roundabouts were hard to see at night.
A crew was out last weekend performed work to make them more visible by painting the traffic splitters and adding reflectors to give drivers a heads up as they approach the roundabouts. WSDOT says they’ll continue to monitor the area.
In the meantime drivers are reminded of a few roundabout basics:
- The recommended speed for a roundabout is 15 mph.
- Vehicles in the roundabout have the right of way. This includes vehicles exiting the roundabout to freeway on-ramps. Drivers turning right directly from Slater Road onto the I-5 on-ramps must yield to vehicles exiting the roundabout to the on-ramp.
- When planning to exit a roundabout, put on your turn signal as soon as your exit is the next turn.
- If you’re approaching the roundabout and no one is in it, you can keep rolling, no need to stop. Just make sure it’s clear and proceed at a safe speed.
- Don’t stop in the roundabout (unless it’s necessary to avoid a collision, of course).
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