As a resident of Clark County and a daily driver of Highway 503, I am extremely concerned about a roundabout project. We received a flyer announcing a plan for a compact roundabout at Rock Creek Road.
Highway 503 is a major north-south highway through the Cascade foothills, a two-lane highway heavily traveled daily. Vehicles include rock trucks, pickup trucks (some with trailers), school buses, heavy equipment trucks, large delivery vans, SUVs and automobiles. Highway 503 southbound from N.E. Gabriel Road is downhill. Traffic comes out of a left-hand curve about 600 feet from the intersection. The latest figures show average daily trips of 5,572 vehicles southbound and 5,007 northbound.
Imagine the traffic nightmare this roundabout will cause. Traffic travelling at 50 mph will have to slow to 15 mph to traverse this intersection. This will cause a backup to the curve and beyond. Since traffic in the roundabout has the right of way, the traffic on Highway 503 will have to stop and wait for traffic already in the roundabout to clear before proceeding, which would cause further backup.
I strongly urge the Washington State Department of Transportation to reject this project for the safety of all who drive this highway.
