Expect Highway 14 delays near Washougal starting late Thursday night

Building of roundabout to close some lanes

By Jeffrey Mize, Columbian staff reporter

Published: September 11, 2019, 6:00am

Drivers traveling west on State Highway 14 navigate the new roundabout at the intersection with Washougal River Road as Mount Hood is seen in the distance Sept. 3. Work on a second roundabout at 32nd Street will cause traffic delays starting Thursday. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)

Drivers on state Highway 14 in Washougal should expect upcoming delays and consider using alternate routes as work continues on building a roundabout at 32nd Street.

Beginning Thursday night, crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will reduce all lanes of Highway 14 down to a single lane for both east and westbound traffic, with flaggers alternating queues of vehicles through the construction area.

That change will start at 10 p.m. Thursday and last until 5 a.m. Sept. 16. During those 79 hours, crews will close 32nd Street, from Highway 14 north to Addy Street. Access to 32nd Street south of Highway 14 will remain open.

When 32nd Street reopens on Sept. 16, vehicles will begin using a newly constructed permanent roundabout configuration. As construction continues, travelers should plan for nighttime delays as they alternate through a single lane of Highway 14 near 32nd Street, from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m.

Thompson Bros. Excavating Inc., a Vancouver contractor working for WSDOT, started construction in late May on roundabouts at Washougal River Road/15th Street and at 32nd Street.

WSDOT says construction on the two roundabouts remains on schedule and should be completed this year, barring an unusually rainy fall.

The $7.5 million project aims to improve traffic flow, enhance safety and restore full access to Highway 14 from 32nd Street. WSDOT has prohibited left turns onto Highway 14 at that intersection because of safety concerns.

More information on the two Highway 14 roundabouts is available on WSDOT’s website at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR14/accessimprove/default.htm.

Interested in monitoring how construction is progressing or how traffic is flowing? WSDOT has cameras at both roundabout sites that provide still online images at: app.oxblue.com/open/wsdot/sr14accessimprovements.

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