Year-long SR 20 roundabout project south of Anacortes begins work

ANACORTES – Preliminary work is now underway on an intersection improvement project to enhance safety along State Route 20 by building a new roundabout at Campbell Lake Road. Most construction for the new roundabout south of Anacortes will be complete in July 2027, weather permitting.

SR 20 travelers also can expect 19 consecutive days of alternating, one-way traffic beginning in mid-August while crews prepare the area near the intersection for the roundabout’s construction.

The Washington State Department of Transportation will oversee the $3 million project funded by the Samish Indian Nation to improve safety along SR 20 and access to and from Campbell Lake Road (milepost 46) and the tribe's fuel station and convenience store.

Plan ahead for SR 20 delays in 2026

During the first few weeks of the project, work will focus on rechanneling Tibbles Creek, which runs east of the Campbell Lake Road intersection. This work will improve the creek for native fish near Campbell Lake. Crews will set concrete barriers and remove the left turn lane to Campbell Lake Road overnight Wednesday, July 29, making room for this work.

Beginning in mid-August, work will shift to building up and grading the intersection so that the roundabout can be built. This will require crews to reduce SR 20 to a single lane for 19 consecutive days. A temporary traffic signal will alternate traffic through the intersection 24 hours a day.

People traveling along this vital corridor between Skagit County and Whidbey Island should plan for delays, especially during busier travel times. WSDOT will announce dates for the lane reduction when they are finalized.

A pause, then roundabout construction in 2027

Once the area is brought up to grade for the new roundabout, contractor crews will pause for about six months over the winter to allow the area to settle. SR 20 will return to its normal two-lane configuration during the settlement period, but travelers should note that the grade of the curve near Campbell Lake Road will be flatter and are advised to follow posted speed limits.

In spring or summer of 2027, roundabout construction will resume. SR 20 again will be reduced to a single lane for up to 54 days around the clock. Campbell Lake Road also will be reduced to a single lane for up to 40 days. Temporary signals will alternate traffic through the intersection around the clock, allowing crews from Faber Construction Corporation to build the new roundabout in three phases.

After the roundabout is built, crews will return about three weeks later to paint the lanes and finish construction.

Dates for work in 2027 will be announced once they are scheduled, but the project is expected to finish next summer.

Improving safety and access

About 19,000 vehicles per day traveled this section of SR 20 in 2025, including people heading to Deception Pass Park or commuting to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. WSDOT reduced the permanent speed limit to 45 mph along SR 20 between Sharpes Corner and Pass Lake earlier this summer.

The new roundabout will further improve safety and provide better access for vehicles using Campbell Lake Road. Roundabouts are designed to improve intersection safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. Studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Federal Highway Administration found that roundabouts reduce injury collisions by 75% compared with intersections using traffic signals or stop signs. Fatality collisions also reduced by 90%. 19 days of single-lane traffic are coming to project area in mid-August.

75% compared with intersections using traffic signals or stop signs. Fatality collisions also reduced by 90%.