SR 104 and Shine/Paradise Bay - Safety Improvement Project
We want to hear from you!
Please submit any questions you have about the preferred final design for a safety improvement project at State Route 104 and Shine Road/Paradise Bay in Jefferson County just west of the Hood Canal Bridge below.
Project Overview:
The intersection of State Route 104 and Shine-Paradise Bay Roads in Jefferson County has a history of serious-injury collisions. This safety improvement project allows for Shine Road and Paradise Bay travelers to safely enter SR 104 through a single-lane, metered roundabout while promoting a continuous flow of traffic. With nearly 17,000 vehicles driving on SR 104 per day, including oversized loads that travel this corridor to and from the Olympic Peninsula, WSDOT decided the intersection needed a closer look and conducted an Intersection Control Evaluation.
We don’t believe restricting access from Paradise Bay and Shine Roads on SR 104 is the right solution. Doing this would increase backups on other routes, potentially affecting smaller communities in a negative manner. We believe the right approach is equitable access for Shine and Paradise Bay travelers by way of a metered, single-lane roundabout, which can control highway traffic when necessary to let traffic on the side streets safely enter the roundabout.
Oversized loads and semis will also be taken into account. The final design recommendations will include splitter islands and truck aprons with rolled-curbing to help large loads maneuver through the roundabout, similar to the industrial designs we constructed last summer at SR 20 and Sharpes Corner in Anacortes.
Studies have shown that roundabouts are safer than a traditional stop sign or signal-controlled intersection. Roundabouts:
Promote lower travel speeds and continuous traffic flow. Roundabouts force drivers to slow down and allow them to safely continue on their journey with less delay when compared to a signal.
Are designed to accommodate the largest legal loads, including semis.
Reduce the potential for head-on or t-bone type collisions.
Are more environmentally-friendly than signals. Roundabouts have a smaller carbon footprint and produce less "hot spots."
WSDOT is considering similar safety improvements at SR 104/Beaver Valley Road (SR 19). Both projects are anticipated to begin construction in the 2021-2023 biennium.
