Sumner staff push for roundabout design at Tacoma–Puyallup intersection, request $210,523 for additional consultant work

Sumner City staff asked the City Council to authorize additional design work and a consultant agreement as they pursue a roundabout at the Tacoma Avenue and Puyallup Street intersection.

The presentation, led by a project presenter and Public Works Director Michael Khosa, described the project as construction of a roundabout plus Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) curb-ramp upgrades, sidewalk widening and an overlay of approximately 0.25 miles of Tacoma Avenue pavement to extend service life. Staff said the project is intended to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion and enhance safety for pedestrians and other road users.

The consultant’s traffic study compared a roundabout and a traffic signal under projected future traffic conditions. “Roundabouts give higher level of service,” the presenter said, and the consultant’s modeling showed the roundabout would maintain a Level of Service A with an average delay of about 9.2 seconds, while a signalized intersection would degrade to a much higher average delay (the presentation cited an average delay of 92 seconds for a signal). The staff presentation also listed…