Moscow roundabout, other upgrades complete

One of Moscow’s major north-south arterials used to be a historical county road that was not built to urban street standards.

This summer, the city took on an effort to make Mountain View Road more suitable for the amount of traffic that travels on it every day. After four months of construction, the city announced Friday the completion of a new roundabout, bike lanes, sidewalks, a turn lane and crosswalks.

Moscow City Supervisor Bill Belknap said approximately 7,000 vehicles drive on Mountain View Road every day according to a study done in 2019.

During peak traffic times, this caused delays at the intersection of Mountain View Road and Sixth Street, which sees approximately 5,600 vehicles per day.

Belknap said the city studied whether stop signs, a traffic signal or roundabout would work best to improve traffic flow at that intersection. It decided a roundabout would be the most efficient way to help people turn onto or cross Mountain View Road.

“The roundabout was deemed to be the best option because it provided that gapping and entry during those peak flow times but also didn’t require people to stop when they didn’t need to,” he said.

He also said it is safer for pedestrians because they only need to cross one lane of travel. That means they only have to look one direction for cars while walking.

Other upgrades include wider sidewalks, bike lanes and crosswalks, including a controlled crossing with a manually-activated rapid flashing beacon at the intersection of Mountain View Rd and Seventh Street. Turn lanes were also added to the Joseph Street intersection.

All construction was supposed to be completed by the end of October, but drivers will notice that part of Sixth Street is still closed, as it has been for months.

Construction crews are working on replacing the Sixth Street bridge with a wider structure. The original bridge suffered damage during floods in recent years.

Belknap said supply chain issues combined with some challenges in replacing two water lines have caused delays in that project. It likely won’t be completed until spring.

That’s why it will be a while before the city can fully assess how effective the new roundabout is, Belknap said.

The city is also not done with modernizing Mountain View Road. Belknap said the city applied for grant funding to begin other improvements in 2026.

He said the plan is to continue widening the roadway at the north and south ends while adding sidewalks and bike lanes.

The city plans to do this from Joseph Street to the fairgrounds, and from D Street to Slonaker Drive.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.