This is one of Richland’s most dangerous intersections. What’s being done about it

A Richland intersection will be closed until September as it’s transformed into a roundabout.

The single-lane mini roundabout will replace what is now a pair of stop signs on Thayer Drive’s intersection with Van Giesen Street.

An average of about 8,000 vehicles a day drive along Van Giesen Street, which connects Richland and West Richland. Another 2,000 travel along Thayer Drive.

While that’s fewer than the nearly 40,000 drivers daily on the south end of George Washington Way, it’s the second busiest intersection on Van Giesen Street between George Washington Way and the bypass Highway.

Over the course of five years, there have been 15 crashes at the intersection. People were injured in eight of those wrecks. And six involved cross traffic.

“It has been an ongoing problem as evidenced by the fact that it is one of only four intersections in the city with a supplemental overhead flashing beacon present,” according to the city’s federal grant application.

The intersection also is an elementary school crosswalk.

The solution is to put a roundabout in the intersection to slow down traffic and make it safer for pedestrians, said Project Engineer Andrey Avetisyan.

But they didn’t want something to have a big impact on the homes at the intersection, so they are going smaller than normal with the mini roundabout.

Instead of building an island in the center, it will be a painted circle.

In a normal roundabout, there is a lower section on the island that helps large trucks and buses navigate the tight curve.

The flat section in the middle of the mini-roundabout will serve the same purpose.

While there won’t be anything stopping people from crossing through the middle of the roundabout, Avetisyan said the traffic markings will be on the road to prevent confusion.

“This is a residential area where it’s relatively low volumes of traffic,” he said. “This is where a mini-roundabout is the best.”

Costs and detours

The project will cost about $800,000 between the initial design and the construction.

Nearly all of it was covered by a federal grant aimed at improving traffic safety, according to Richland officials

Work started Tuesday and is expected to last a couple months, Avetisyan said.

For now, traffic is being directed in a large loop around the construction site. Drivers are being asked to take Williams to either Stevens Drive or Wright Avenue.

People who live in the neighborhood can still access their homes.