WSDOT: Roundabout in the works in Morton at intersection of U.S. Highway 12 and state Route 7

After conducting surveys starting in 2024, Washington state Department of Transportation (WSDOT) officials have announced they have settled on building a new roundabout at the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 and state Route 7 in Morton to address the high number of deadly crashes there.

The roundabout project is still in the design phase, with construction expected to start by spring 2027, according to a WSDOT news release.

"This intersection was found to have more serious and deadly crashes each year than expected, based on crash data from 2015 to 2019. All the crashes involved vehicles driving south on SR 7, and most happened when drivers were turning left onto US 12," the release stated. "There were ten crashes during that time, and some caused serious injuries. Since 2019, similar crashes have continued, showing the need for safety improvements, like building a roundabout."

According to crash data from 2015 to 2019, 90% of crashes at this intersection occur when drivers are turning left from Route 7 onto Highway 12, and "crash data from 2020 to 2024 shows similar patterns at this intersection."

Aside from a roundabout, traffic lights were also considered.

"A traffic signal was looked at for this intersection, but it didn't meet the requirements to be installed. Also, most of the crashes here were T-bone crashes, which happen when one car hits the side of another. Roundabouts are better at preventing these kinds of crashes than traffic signals. In fact, putting in a signal could lead to more rear-end crashes," the release stated.

WSDOT officials conducted their first survey at the end of 2024, and got "over 90 responses," helping them get an idea of the types and sizes of vehicles typically traveling through the area along with when to carry out construction to avoid interfering with local events like the Morton Loggers' Jubilee.

A second survey was conducted starting last December going into January this year, and it got over 80 additional responses.

According to WSDOT data, roundabouts reduce deadly crashes by 90%, injury-causing crashes by 75% and overall, crashes both serious and minor go down by 37%. Because of this, WSDOT officials settled on the roundabout recommendation.

For more information, visit WSDOT's website at https://tinyurl.com/mrxc48wk or contact WSDOT project engineer Susan Fell at swrcceo@wsdot.wa.gov.

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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 11:24 AM.