Project Overview
The project will construct two roundabouts on Potter Street, at King Street and Lincoln Street. The main objective of the project is to reduce transit delays, increase transit efficiency, improve vehicle Level of Service (LOS) at the intersection, and improve access and safety for people walking and biking.
The roundabout at the intersection of Lincoln and Potter Street will reduce current and future transit travel delays for Whatcom Transit Authority (WTA) Route 190 by allowing WTA buses to avoid one left turn and two right turns. Eliminating the need to travel through the Lakeway/King signalized intersection. Route 190 connects the population centers of downtown Bellingham, Western Washington University, Lincoln Creek Transportation Center, and two large shopping areas on Lakeway Drive. The route is WTA’s fourth-highest ridership route, with nearly 300,000 boardings in 2023.
The construction of the King Street roundabout will further increase efficiency and LOS through the project area. The King Street roundabout will also provide the additional benefit of metering traffic to the northbound on ramp and potentially allow for better merging traffic on the I-5 mainline.
Project Status 2025
This project is included in the City’s Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program. The work completed includes preliminary design, a traffic demand analysis, and future traffic projections. Construction of the Potter Street roundabout at Lincoln Street is expected to begin in mid-2027. Each roundabout will be completed separately. Currently, there is no estimated start date for the Potter Street roundabout at King Street.
Construction Impacts
Significant impacts are expected during the construction of the roundabouts. A detour will be in place during the construction of both roundabouts. Additional details will be provided as the project progresses.
Project Background
This project was identified in the multi-agency 2021 Lincoln-Lakeway Multimodal Transportation Study and WTA’s Rapid Transit Feasibility Study.
Funding
The Potter Street roundabout at Lincoln Street is currently shown as funded by the Transportation Fund in the Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program. The Potter Street roundabout at King Street is not yet funded, and the City is pursuing grants for the unfunded portion of the project.
Contact
General project questions: AskPW@cob.org
Media inquiries: pwmedia@cob.org
