Medical Lake reviews draft Transportation Master Plan; consultants recommend roundabouts for long-term safety and capacity

Councilors reviewed the city’s draft Transportation Master Plan, which models future traffic and proposes a prioritized list of improvements to address safety and intersection capacity.

Planning staff and the consultant described a three-tier time horizon (0–6 years; 6–20 years; 20+ years) and identified three locations where roundabouts could mitigate future intersection conflicts and improve pedestrian/bicycle safety along SR 902 and Brooks Road corridors. Staff stressed the plan’s role in supporting grant applications and the Capital Facilities Plan.

Council members and staff flagged errors in the draft that must be corrected before final adoption, including a population figure (4,195 vs. 4,915) and an incorrect boundary placement on maps; staff said they would correct typographical and mapping errors and return the clean draft for the planning commission hearing and a council adoption hearing scheduled for July 21. Council discussed lower-cost, near-term alternatives—four-way stops, restriping and improved crossings—and emphasized that roundabouts are a longer-term, higher-cost solution.

Staff summarized next steps: correct identified errors, finalize maps and colors for printed materials, and present the plan at a planning commission public hearing before returning to council for adoption.

The plan will inform street classifications, the Transportation Improvement Program and future grant requests; staff noted state-level classifications influence funding eligibility and that requests to change those classifications require separate state-level processes.

Next steps: staff will correct mapping and numeric errors, incorporate commission feedback, and present the plan for a planning commission hearing and city council consideration.