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Resident warns proposed Middle Fork roundabout could become truck turnaround near Middle Fork Middle School
Summary
A longtime resident urged the council to reconsider language in the City’s six‑year TIP that would allow use of a proposed Middle Fork roundabout as a truck turnaround, citing child safety, air pollution and conflicts with RCW school‑zone safety provisions.
Gary Fancher, a River Ridge resident and former North Bend Planning Commission chair, told the council during public comment on Sept. 2 that language in the city’s updated six‑year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) could allow a roundabout at Middle Fork Road to be used as a truck turnaround.
Fancher said the proposed design would permit commercial semi‑truck use in an area where children walking to Twin Falls Middle School could encounter heavy vehicles. He told the council that roundabouts can permit large trucks to encroach on pedestrian pathways, increase congestion at school dismissal times and worsen visibility. Fancher also cited state school‑zone safety language (as stated in the meeting) and warned diesel truck emissions increase fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, which he said pose a special risk to children’s developing lungs.
He proposed alternatives including rerouting commercial truck traffic to Southeast 140th or North Bend Way, using adjacent lots for truck staging and increasing law‑enforcement presence during peak hours. He urged the city to coordinate with county, state and federal partners because North Bend’s budget cannot fully address regional trucking patterns.
Mayor and council acknowledged the comment; several council members later referenced the public concerns during the ordinance discussion as part of a broader emphasis on safety and the need for clearer local rules.
