SR 20 Sharpes Corner roundabout getting refreshed lane makings, adjusted traffic pattern

(ANACORTES)– State Route 20 and SR 20 Spur in Anacortes will be reduced to a single lane in each direction at Sharpes Corner Saturday night, July 25, to refresh lane markings and adjust the traffic pattern at the roundabout.

People traveling through the area should expect delays from 9 p.m. Saturday, July 25, to 6 a.m. Sunday, July 26, while Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews add the new lane markings, according to a news release from WSDOT.

After the work is finished, drivers should pay close attention to the new lane markings and signs and give other drivers extra room while everyone learns the new traffic pattern.

When the refreshed Sharpes Corner roundabout opens on Sunday, July 26, drivers will notice new lane markings, with painted buffers creating additional separation between the lanes in the roundabout. The painted buffers will be installed wherever two adjacent lanes of travel in the same direction are present.

New paint and white pylons will direct exiting drivers to the right (west) side of the southern leg of the roundabout when they’re heading toward Oak Harbor or Deception Pass. Drivers are currently directed towards the left (east) side of the southern leg of the roundabout with its current design.

The traffic pattern adjustments are being made after WSDOT traffic engineers observed driver behavior in the roundabout and analyzed data. The changes are intended to slow and calm traffic and prevent vehicles from changing lanes within the roundabout. This is the second time the traffic pattern has been adjusted since the roundabout opened in 2018.

WSDOT will continue to monitor Sharpes Corner after the changes are made.