Target Zero is the Washington State Department of Transportation's safety improvement program. It aims to reduce serious and fatal crashes on state highways. The program focuses on two aspects: crash reduction and crash prevention.
Routine reviews of rural area intersections are conducted of the state highway system to find ways to reduce potential crashes. We analyze locations that are at the highest risk for severe crashes. A systemic analysis is like a health screening for the road system. Once those intersections are identified, WSDOT develops safety modifications to reduce crash potential by reducing operating speed and conflict points.
Studies show that roundabouts are safer than traditional traffic signals or stop sign controlled intersections. They accommodate vehicles of various sizes, including emergency vehicles, buses, bicycles, semi-trucks with trailers, and farm and logging equipment.
The roundabout projects are funded through the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and are estimated to cost between $1,000,000 - $2,000,000* per location:
- SR 507 at 208th Street East
- SR 702 at Harts Lake Road South
- SR 702 at 40th Avenue South / Allen Road
*These costs are rough estimates and subject to change based on final design factors and project award.
Plans are underway to design and construct single-lane roundabouts at three intersections in Pierce County beginning summer of 2024. A single-lane roundabout is smaller than a standard roundabout, features mountable curbing, a traversable center island, and shorter and traversable splitter islands. WSDOT roundabouts are designed to accommodate vehicles of all sizes, including emergency vehicles, buses, and truck and trailer combinations. The flexible design provides a mountable curbing and fully traversable center island that large vehicles can drive over, if needed. Pedestrians and cyclists are not common at these locations and none of these locations are designated as a transit route. This project will take a closer look into those factors in the design phase of the roundabout project.
Planned SR 507 at 208th Street East roundabout (conceptual drawing)
The intersection of SR 507 at 208th Street East near Joint Base Lewis-McChord is located within Pierce County. Approximately 16,000 vehicles and 2,000 trucks use this intersection daily according to 2019 traffic data. The intersection stop sign at 208th Street East will be replaced with a single-lane roundabout. The center island of this conceptual sketch has a diameter of 50 feet. The center island is paved and intended to be fully mounted as needed by larger vehicles. This concept includes raised splitter islands at the chicanes on all three intersection legs.
Planned SR 702 at Harts Lake Road roundabout (conceptual drawing)
The intersection of SR 702 at Harts Lake Road South is located east of McKenna in Pierce County. Approximately 9,000 vehicles and 700 trucks use this intersection daily, according to 2019 traffic data. The stop sign at Harts Lake Road South will be replaced with a single-lane roundabout. The center island of this conceptual roundabout sketch has a diameter of 50 feet, and the splitter islands are elongated on the two main highway legs. All islands are paved and intended to be fully mounted as needed by larger vehicles.
Planned SR 702 at 40th Avenue South/Allen Road roundabout (conceptual drawing)
The intersection of SR 702 at 40th Avenue South/Allen Road is located east of McKenna in Pierce County. Approximately 7,000 vehicles and 600 trucks use this intersection daily, according to 2019 traffic data. The stop signs at 40th Avenue South and Allen Road will be replaced with a single-lane roundabout. The center island of this conceptual roundabout sketch has a diameter of 30 feet, and the splitter islands are elongated on the two highway legs. Direct access from SR 702 to the convenience store/gas station will be restricted to right-in/right-out turning movements. Full turning movement access to SR 702 is available from Allen Road. All islands are paved and intended to be fully mounted as needed by larger vehicles.
