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Lake Forest Park engineers outline phased roundabout construction and multi‑jurisdiction detours; residents warn of neighborhood cut‑throughs
Summary
City engineers said SR 104/40th roundabout work starts Aug. 3 with multi‑phase closures including utility suspension (up to 180 days) and 60‑day single‑lane detours; staff warned detour routing will shift hundreds of vehicles onto Shoreline and Kenmore arterials and recommended local access controls and temporary traffic calming.
City project staff gave a detailed phasing and detour plan for the SR 104/40th Place NE roundabout, saying construction starts Aug. 3 and will include sequential phases intended to minimize overall impacts but requiring temporary closures and reroutes.
Mike Reed, the project engineer, said phase 1 focuses on grading and pier construction (Aug–Dec), followed by a utility suspension phase (up to 180 days) during which overhead utilities and a gas main will be relocated; later phases will require single‑lane restrictions on SR 104 and northbound closure windows that could last up to 60 days in fall 2027. Reed said traffic counts were collected at more than 20 locations to assess detour impacts and that he is coordinating signal timing and temporary signal installations with Kenmore, Shoreline and WSDOT.
Reed warned the primary detour would move roughly 300–400 vehicles per hour onto parallel arterials in Shoreline (15th Avenue NE and Perkins/Perkins Way) and that a portion of diverted drivers will use local cut‑throughs. "We're going to be shifting, you know, close to 300 to 400 vehicles an hour onto 15th Avenue in Shoreline," Reed said, and added that the team will install temporary speed humps at critical local locations and consider 'local access only' restrictions near the work zone.
Council members pressed staff on emergency vehicle access, impacts on school zones and the risks of time‑of‑day switching of traffic patterns; staff said emergency access will be maintained and that they will consult the fire marshal and school district. The city also requested and is seeking approvals for temporary signals and WSDOT concurrence on detour routing. City staff requested waivers for some process timings to keep the project on the planned schedule.
