Eighteen New Roundabouts Planned For North Bend

North Bend residents should become familiar with "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)", the 1985 hit by the dynamic English pop band, Dead or Alive.

Why?  Because starting this fall, drivers can look forward to the construction of an additional eighteen new roundabouts, in and around North Bend.  Completion of the new roundabouts is tentatively scheduled for summer 2022.

"As a city, we're going 'all-in' on roundabouts," said Braiden Patterson, a North Bend Public Works Department employee.  "Why not?  Roundabouts improve traffic flow and are better for the environment.  They're also just plain exciting to drive in and maneuver around.  You never know what will happen driving in a roundabout - will that approaching blue pickup truck speed up and try to squeeze in front of you?  You just don't know!"

Patterson indicated he was concerned about North Bend's rival to the west.  "Snoqualmie is planning to install a 'diverging diamond interchange' on I-90/SR 18.  Simple roundabouts just don't have that 'wow' factor anymore.  Long term, we need to up our game, but for now, quantity helps."

Patterson added "I definitely think it benefits us to take a more creative approach when designing our traffic solutions.  When we ask people to describe North Bend traffic, we really hope they use words like, 'esoteric', 'unpredictable' and 'fun'."

The city's ambitious plans have elicited mixed emotions from North Bend residents.  Madelyn Wilson-Viola, a resident of Forster Woods, expressed some concerns.  "I really can't stand it when people stop in the middle of the roundabout to let other people in.  It's super annoying.  That's pretty much the reason I hate roundabouts.  We need better driver education on roundabout use - I don't know how many times I can post this fact on Facebook - no one seems to care."

When prodded to concede one positive thing about roundabouts, Wilson-Viola admitted, "Fine.  It's nice to no longer wait five minutes behind someone wanting to take a left out of the QFC parking lot."

One person that won't be left out - of making money - is Cletus McMillan of McMillan Road Construction, a Carnation business that specializes in roundabout and other roadside repairs.

When asked if he supports the city's plan, he simply responded, "Cha-Ching!"  After a short moment of thought, he added, "Traffic Circles... roundabouts... people, they just seem to hit 'em all the time.  We are constantly repairing roundabouts on the Eastside.  I won't lie, business has been good.  To directly answer your question, we enthusiastically support the city's plan."

McMillan added that he planned on hiring two more employees to keep up with the boom in roundabout repair work.  "The city just funded my children's college - my grandchildren's too, probably."

The city has stated that during construction, traffic control will be provided at all times, but drivers should anticipate single lane closures and short delays this fall into spring.  Residents should also anticipate noise and mild vibration during construction.