Submitted by Thurston County
Thurston County is permanently closing access to Moon Road SW from 188th Avenue SW near Rochester, WA at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4, 2020.
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.
In the event of a local emergency, such as flooding, local authorities will temporarily open 188th Ave SW for local access. A turnaround will also be constructed at the intersection of Moon Road SW and 188th Ave SW.
“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 US 12 on Friday, October 23. The move to close the road comes after the completion of the Anderson Road and US 12 roundabout by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and eliminates the need for another roundabout on US 12 at Moon Road SW. Both roundabouts were part of the safety improvements proposed in a 2012 regional transportation study.
“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.
For more information about the road access closure visit the Thurston County Public Works Project online. For more information about the new roundabout on US12 at Anderson Road, visit WSDOT Anderson Road – Safety Improvement.