Two new roundabouts will be coming to Kent in the next couple of years on the East Hill at SE 248th Street and 116th Avenue SE and in the Valley at 64th Avenue South and South 236th Street.
The estimated $7.87 million project at SE 248th/116th will replace the current four-way stop configuration with a single-lane roundabout with bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
“The project began design in 2025 and is anticipated to start construction in spring/summer of 2027 with project completion likely extending into 2028,” said David Paine, city of Kent transportation planner, in a Jan. 12 email.
The City Council accepted an $3.5 million grant toward the project from the state Transportation Improvement Board (funded by the gas tax) on Jan. 6. City staff applied for the grant through the state’s Urban Active Transporation Program, which supports projects that improve pedestrian and cyclist safety, mobility and connectivity. The project includes completion of the adjacent sidewalk network, according to city documents.
In addition to the grant monies, the remaining costs of the project will come from the city’s transportation impact fees (charged to new developments and pre-existing structures with a major change in use) and the city’s street fund (paid for by the city business & occupation tax), according to city documents
Paine said the intersection was constructed prior to annexation (in 1997) by the city, when the surrounding area was largely farmland.
“Delays at the intersection are substantial in the morning and evening peak commute periods,” Paine said.
The intersection had 43 crashes between 2022 and 2024, according to the city’s Target Zero Action Plan. City staff identified a roundabout design as an improved intersection control for the types of crashes occurring at SE 248th Street and 116th Avenue SE.
“Upgrading the intersection to a roundabout is expected to have safety, traffic flow and mobility benefits for all modes of travel,” Paine said.
The intersection serves a combined 18,000 vehicles per day, according to the state Transportation Improvement Board website. The SE 248th Street corridor is a major east-west connection for the city’s East Hill, connecting two elementary schools (George Daniel and Martin Sortun), the YMCA, Morill Meadows Park, Clark Lake Park (a 154-acre passive use park) and Wilson Playfields. It also serves Puget Sound Fire Station No. 74.
2nd new roundabout
In addition to the SE 248th Street and 116th Avenue SE roundabout, the city will build a roundabout at 64th Avenue South and South 236th Street, near Neely O’Brien Elementary School, in the Valley.
“The project began design in 2024 and is anticipated to start construction in late 2027 with project completion in the last quarter of 2028,” Paine said.
The City Council in October approved acceptance of a $3 million grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) after staff applied for the funds through the Safe Routes to School Program, according to city documents. The total cost of the project is about $3.7 million.
The Safe Routes to School Program receives funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act, according to the WSDOT website.
The intersection is adjacent to the school and will feature enhanced crosswalks with rectangular rapid-flashing beacons to alert drivers of crossing pedestrians. The intersection serves as the principal access point for the school for all modes of travel.
To fit within the existing intersection, the project will reconfigure 64th Avenue South from four travel lanes with a center turn lane to two travel lanes with bike lanes, according to city documents.
A map of where the roundabout will be built at SE 248th Street and 116th Avenue SE. COURTESY IMAGE, state Transportation Improvement Board
Roundabout benefits
City Public Works Director Chad Bieren told the Kent Reporter about the benefits of roundabouts for a 2024 article about the construction of the two Reith Road roundabouts, which opened in 2025.
Roundabouts will:
• Reduce serious injury and fatal crashes.
• Improve traffic operations – they tend to move traffic more effectively than traffic signals.
• Allow for more traffic movements than other traffic control – you can’t make a U-turn at an all-way stop, or at smaller, signalized intersections.
Paine said it takes three to five years after a roundabout opens to know whether the project reduced crashes at the intersection.
“Three of the (city) roundabouts have been in place for more than three years and in general we do see fewer crashes of all types at roundabouts,” Paine said.
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