Photo by Paul Delaney Signs near the intersection of Craig Road and State Route 902 near Medical Lake have been warning drivers of its pending temporary closure starting July 19 at 7 p.m. and running until 7 p.m. July 22.
A previously announced closure of State Route 902 and Craig Road for construction of a roundabout begins tonight, July 19, at 7 p.m. and will last 72 hours Washington State Department of Transportation officials said.
The roadway is expected to reopen at 7 p.m. Sunday, July 22.
According to details released by WSDOT, SR 902 will be closed to westbound traffic at exit 272. Drivers will detour via Medical Lake-Four Lakes Road.
Craig Road will be posted with signage just beyond the grain terminal in Four Lakes on the south end and at its intersection with U.S. Highway 2 in Airway Heights.According to a WSDOT news release dated July 12, the roundabout is part of an overall paving project that is in progress and will grind and resurface six miles of pavement from Medical Lake to Interstate 90. Also part of the bigger project are installation of rumble strips. The entire project is scheduled to be completed in mid-August.Constructed within the existing intersection footprint, the compact roundabout functions the same way as larger roundabouts, but it will require large trucks to use more of the center section of the to negotiate turns.
Five-year data collected between Jan. 1, 2012, through Dec. 31, 2016 - the most recent available from the Washington Department of Transportation - showed there were 24 collisions with 28 injuries at SR-902 and Craig. That includes one fatality, one serious and three minor injuries and 10 possible injuries.
Of the crashes, 19 came with vehicles colliding at right angles. A roundabout is designed to improve safety by reducing the potential for and severity of collisions at the intersection
The entire project, including paving and the roundabout, pegged at slightly over $2 million, was awarded to Shamrock Paving of Spokane with a construction bid of $1,872,436.
Installation of the newest roundabout stems from the Spokane Tribe of Indians traffic study which is part of their NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) approval process for the casino.
The study, conducted by the engineering firm of David Evans and Associates of Spokane, was required because the possible increase of traffic on Craig coming to and from the casino.
A roundabout was built in 2017 on U.S. Highway 2 where the Spokane Tribe casino opened in January 2018. Another could be built to the east at Craig Road. That future project has no specific timetable and would depend on traffic demand.
The Spokane Tribe's contribution to the project is approximately $110,000 according to WSDOT.
Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.
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