Link Transit begins construction on Leavenworth roundabout

On August 6, construction of a new traffic roundabout at the intersection of US 2 and Icicle Road in Leavenworth kicked off. This is the culmination of more than 18 months in planning and coordination with the City of Leavenworth and WSDOT. When completed, the project will improve traffic flow through this heavily traveled corridor and provide Link Transit buses with a place to turn around at the west end of town.

For many years, Link buses used the Icicle Qwik Stop to turn around. However, with consistently high customer traffic and an abundance of snow in winter 2023, the owners asked Link Transit to discontinue use of the property. “This has long been a problematic location for us to maneuver a 40’ bus through”, said Gabby Walker, Link’s Operations Manager. “With an abundance of customer traffic through there, including RV’s, boats and pedestrians, it was not an ideal situation for our operators.”Once completed, the new roundabout will include a passenger boarding location on US 2 just east of the intersection, helping restore access to the west side of Leavenworth.Construction costs are estimated to be $2,793,365. Link Transit is paying for this project and will be reimbursed by the City of Leavenworth for about $250,000. The primary contractor is KCRI LLC, and construction is expected to be completed by late September 2023.WSDOT identified this as an important project for traffic control in the April 2020 US 2 Upper Wenatchee Valley Transportation Corridor Study, a joint study conducted by the Chelan-Douglas Transportation Council and WSDOT. Planning and construction could not be started until funding was obtained, potentially years away. With the loss of its turnaround, Link Transit needed a more immediate solution.The roundabout on US Highway 2 and Icicle Road will provide a safe turnaround for Route 22 and ensure continuation of this route operating between Leavenworth and Wenatchee. It will also make the intersection safer for pedestrians and vehicles as traffic on the west end of Leavenworth is expected to increase with the new Leavenworth Adventure Park now open to the public. The changes will also help mitigate the traffic along this corridor during seasonal and festival travel, and slow the traffic coming into Leavenworth, allowing a safer left turn from Icicle Road onto US 2.

Construction and traffic updates can be found at https://wsdot.com/Travel/Real-time/Map/ orhttps://www.linktransit.com