A new roundabout is coming to Olympia, and 200 trees will have to go

Olympia drivers, there’s another roundabout in your future. But the most significant road work to construct it is slated for 2018.

This roundabout will be located at the intersection of Boulevard Road Southeast and Morse Merryman Road Southeast. Boulevard Road is already home to three roundabouts at Yelm Highway Southeast, Log Cabin Road Southeast and 22nd Avenue Southeast.

That’s no accident, Jim Rioux told the Olympia City Council on Tuesday night. Rioux, a project manager with the city’s public works department, said the installation of the Log Cabin Road and 22nd Avenue roundabouts was the result of a 2006 study.

The study looked for ways to improve traffic flow and safety on the busy Boulevard Road corridor. Installing roundabouts limited the impact that intersection improvements had on surrounding areas, Rioux said.

“Had we gone with a traditional signalized intersection (at Morse Merryman Road), we would have had to install up to five travel lanes,” Rioux said. “That would have been a much more significant impact to property owners, much more difficult to construct and much more expensive.”

Construction of the latest roundabout will begin in early or mid-September.

The total cost of the project is about $6.3 million, with about $3 million coming from Transportation Improvement Board and Federal Highway Administration grants. About $30,000 will be set aside for an art installation.

The city council awarded a $3.3 million construction bid on Tuesday night to Active Construction.

In coming weeks, crews will remove about 200 trees in the construction area, Rioux said. The trees range in size from very small to old growth.

Some members of the city council expressed concerns about the tree removal, and Councilman Clark Gillman asked whether other trees will be planted to mitigate the loss.

Invasive species will be removed from a wetland buffer, and trees will be planted primarily on a piece of private property to the northeast of the roundabout, Riouz said.

This plan dovetails with the property owner’s wishes, he said.

Still, Councilwoman Jeannine Roe said the city should be prepared for some push-back.

“As you are aware, Olympians, we love our trees,” Roe said.

Much of the work occurring this fall will be outside the roadway, Rioux said. But there will be a significant effect on traffic during road work at the intersection next spring and summer.

Boulevard Road is a well-traveled street, and many of the alternate routes are well out of the way, he said.

This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 6:52 AM with the headline "A new roundabout is coming to Olympia, and 200 trees will have to go."