A newly installed roundabout is seen at the intersection of Anderson Road Southwest and Highway 12 Sunday afternoon in Rochester.
Thurston County announced this week it would permanently close access to Moon Road SW from 188th Avenue SW near Rochester as of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Traffic will be rerouted through the newly completed U.S. Highway 12 roundabout.
“The closure, starting at the intersection between the two roads and extending west to the Lucky Eagle Casino employee parking lot, is part of a regional effort to improve safety in the area,” according to a news release from the county.
In the event of a local emergency, such as flooding, local authorities can temporarily open 188th Avenue SW for local access.
“The closure ensures traffic to and from the casino will be routed along Anderson Road, where the state recently completed safety improvements at the intersection of US 12 and Anderson Road,” said Thurston County Traffic Engineer Matt Unzelman.
Unzelman added that signs notifying the public about the closure will be placed along Highway 12 on Friday, Oct. 23.
“By working with our tribal and state partners, we were able to eliminate the need for a second roundabout in the area, improve safety, and reduce overall county road maintenance costs,” said Thurston County Engineer Scott Lindblom.
Construction work to close the road is expected to cost less than $150,000, with funding from WSDOT, and is part of the Thurston County Transportation Improvement Plan and the Capital Facilities Plan.
