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April 19, 2004

La Conner Roundabout Tames Tulip Festival Traffic

SKAGIT COUNTY – The La Conner Roundabout handled the Tulip Festival traffic on the two busiest weekends of the festival without a hitch, according to Forest Jones, with Skagit County Public Works Traffic Engineering.

The normally traffic-snarled intersection of La Conner Whitney Road and Chilberg Road during Tulip Festival weekends proved no match for the recently built roundabout. During festivals of years past, traffic would backup past the newly built Fire Station over the slough to Alverson Road on Chilberg Road. La Conner visitors approaching west on Chilberg Road would sit waiting for gaps in the steady stream of traffic entering and leaving La Conner on La Conner-Whitney Road.

The opening weekend and Easter weekend of the Tulip Festival found that the past backups at the intersection of Chilberg Road and La Conner-Whitney Road no longer existed. Motorists at other popular routes along Mclean Road found intersections backed up during the weekend rush to see the tulips.

At these intersections, there were entering and exiting volumes in excess of 12,000 vehicles per day and hourly volumes of 800 vehicles per hour during the peak traffic times. Along with the above-mentioned volumes, 450 bicyclists associated with the Tulip Pedal, used the roundabout without any problems. While other intersections were breaking down and where being manned by county traffic control personnel to move traffic, the roundabout operated without incident.

Sergeant Bonnie Bowers, of the Skagit County Sheriff’s Department, La Conner Detachment, when asked how the roundabout performed, said, “The roundabout kept traffic moving at a slow even pace. It eliminates questions of right-of-way at the intersection, and kept vehicles from backing up at stop signs like they use to do. It worked better than I expected.”

“Skagit County Public Works considered the Tulip Festival a good test for the La Conner roundabout and it passed with flying colors,” said Jones.

Contacts: Given Kutz, Traffic Engineering (360) 336-9333 ext. 3149
Forrest Jones, Traffic Engineering (360) 336-9333 ext. 3172