Portion of Reith Road in Kent to close for roundabout construction

Drivers will face detours in Kent for the next several weeks along Reith Road for completion of the roundabouts at two intersections.

Reith Road will be closed July 9 to Sept. 1 between the intersections of Lake Fenwick Road and South 253rd Street, according to the city”s Public Works Department.

Puyallup-based Northwest Cascade Inc. is constructing the roundabouts for the $4.28 million project and will need the extra space to complete construction.

The existing stop sign controlled intersections will change to single-lane compact roundabouts to improve traffic flow for people walking, biking and driving.

In between the roundabouts, the outside travel lanes will be converted to separated one-way bike lanes while still maintaining needed capacity on the corridor with one-lane in each direction, according to city Public Works documents. The bike lanes will provide separated space for people who ride bikes, increase the separation between car travel lanes and the sidewalk, and help fill a gap in the city’s bike network.

People who walk will benefit from street crossings that will be shorter, simpler and some will benefit from flashing beacons that flash when a button is pressed.

The project will extend the sidewalk towards Kent-Des-Moines Road (SR 516) on one side of Reith Road while providing rideable shoulders in both directions for bikes.

The city received an $1.59 million grant from the state Transportation Improvement Board (funded by the gas tax) to help pay for the project. The remain costs will be covered by a combination of monies from the city street fund (paid for by the city business & occupation tax) and city Transportation Impact Fees (charged to new developments and pre-existing structures with a major change in use), according to city documents.