Walking along Witte Road near the Greater Maple Valley Community Center is that much safer lately as work on road improvements and a roundabout is nearing completion.

According to Dan Mattson, capital projects manager for the city of Maple Valley, sidewalks and landscaping have been installed and the work is “moving along nicely.”

Goodfellow Bros., a Maple Valley firm, won the $3.33 million project. The firm’s bid was about $1.6 million under the engineer’s estimate for the price tag of the project. Money for the project has come from the city’s capital budget as well as a $1.25 million federal grant.

Ground was broken on the project last July while work began in earnest in August.

Mattson explained that work will begin shortly on the final aspect of the project: the roundabout.

“The contractor, Goodfellow Bros, Inc., will be scheduling the first lift of pavement as soon as the weather allows, after which they will set up a ‘coned roundabout’ while they complete the work on the center island of the roundabout,” Mattson said in an e-mail. “At present, the construction improvements are slightly ahead of schedule and if weather allows the project will be done the first week of June.”

This roundabout will be the first in Maple Valley, a traffic flow alternative to signalized intersections that neighbor Covington has embraced in recent years for the same reasons it seemed to make sense for the intersection of Witte Road and Southeast 248th.

“Studies show they are safer for pedestrians and motorists, cheaper to operate and maintain, and better for the environment,” Mattson said. “A standard four-way intersection, for example, has 32 points of conflict for cars and pedestrians, while a roundabout has eight points which are separated from one another. Roundabouts force drivers to slow down.”

While Maple Valley drivers may experience a bit of a learning curve, Mattson said, it will get easy in time if motorists remember that incoming drivers yield to pedestrians and motorists in the circle.

“The center island, ringed by a truck apron, provides plenty of space for buses and emergency vehicles,” Mattson said. “There are several advantages to a roundabout: traffic continues flowing without backing up; the intersection can carry 30 to 50 percent more vehicles than like-sized intersections during rush hour; and injury related accidents are reduced. In comparison to the present two-way stop, this roundabout will eliminate long delays for traffic entering Witte Road from SE 248th Street.

In addition to building a roundabout, work has included extending curbs, gutters, sidewalks, bike lanes, drainage systems and landscaping from just south of Lake Wilderness Elementary past the Nazarene Church on Witte Road.

Existing utilities have been placed underground, a new pedestrian trail connection off of Witte Road will be built to connect the street to the Lake Wilderness Trail and a new crosswalk north of Southeast 248th will be put in to make crossing to the elementary school that much easier.

“All in all this will bring an exciting new look while providing significantly improved pedestrian, bicycle, and motorized safety to the roadway that now serves Lake Wilderness Elementary School, Maple Valley Library, Maple Valley Community Center, Lake Wilderness Arboretum, Lake Wilderness Lodge and Park, as well as the many residents that live in the area,” Mattson said.