New roundabout hinges on Riverpointe

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Yakima's second roundabout has been approved by city officials, but it's not going to get built unless Riverpointe Landing gets built.

The roundabout is designed to reduce congestion that already backs up rush-hour traffic on the westbound off-ramp at the interchange of 16th Avenue and U.S. Highway 12.

Those traffic patterns are expected to worsen if the nearby Riverpointe Landing shopping center, the biggest retail development in the city's history since the now-defunct Yakima Mall was built 40 years ago, ever gets off the ground.

The city rezoned the site a year ago, but the shopping center has been in a holding pattern since the economy began tanking.

Riverpointe investors remain committed to the $160-million project but can't move forward without firm commitments from key retailers like Home Depot or Kohl's, said Jack Evans of Tacoma-based First Western Properties, which is representing the developer, Northward Real Estate Group of Bellevue.

"Without the major tenants, it's difficult to do anything," said Evans, adding, "We'll be ready to go when things get a little bit better."

The roundabout would be financed by Northward at the direction of the state Department of Transportation. It's been touted as a better-flowing alternative to a traffic signal at the north end of the 16th Avenue overpass.

As part of the city's approval for project, the developers are also on the hook for safety improvements to the overpass and to the Yakima Greenway, which crosses U.S. at the same place.

The estimated cost of the roundabout's construction has not been made public by developers.

The city's first and to date only roundabout debuted in 2004 at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Fruitvale Boulevard.

Selah recently saw construction of its first roundabout, on Selah Loop Road. Traffic engineers have also proposed a pair of roundabouts as part of the massive rebuild of the Interstate 82 Valley Mall interchange in Union Gap.

Though not perfect for every situation, roundabouts are much less expensive to build and maintain than light signals and have the added benefit of reducing pollution and severe traffic accidents.

Although traffic at the 16th Avenue interchange already backs up during rush-hour, DOT development services engineer Rick Holmstrom said the proposed roundabout fix is strictly tied to Riverpointe.

If the shopping center falls through, he said, "then the roundabout will wait."

* Chris Bristol can be reached at 577-7748 or cbristol@yakimaherald.com.