Auburn considers options for R Street roundabout
Published 2:04 pm Friday, February 20, 2026
Auburn officials say the single-lane roundabout at the R Street SE/21st Street SE intersection is necessary and will benefit everyone who uses the corridor by alleviating traffic congestion, and resolving safety issues that the street — as it is now configured — poses to bicyclists and pedestrians.
What’s more, the city also plans to add new roadway pavement, a crossing with pedestrian-activated flashing beacons, a multi-use pathway for non-motorized uses, improved street lighting, and upgraded water system infrastructure on the corridor.
So on Feb. 16, the Auburn City Council passed an ordinance authorizing the city to use condemnation to acquire the property rights it needs, but only if ongoing negotiations with the two owners involved should stall or fail to lead to an agreement and closure. Those rights include rights of way and temporary easements, specific only to a portion of properties.
Before the vote, Councilmember Brian Lott argued that construction should be delayed until an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Segale Properties’ proposed Rainier Vista development nearby is completed and reveals exactly how much more traffic R Street would be carrying, forcing the city to tear out the roundabout at a future date and redo it.
Lott suggested alternatives to the single-lane roundabout that would not require condemnation, such as a lighted intersection or a two-way stop. A traffic study completed in 2020, Lott added, was done without information on that future traffic load.
Mayor Nancy Backus noted that the Segale gravel pit at the center of the developers’ plans for the Rainier Vista development is still operating, and years could pass before it closes, and until Segale completes an EIS, if indeed, it decides to continue with its massive project.
The city completed a study in 2020 to identify the improvements that were needed for the R Street corridor, and it has been trying ever since to get funding for all those project pieces.
“This is one of those that we were successfully able to get grants for the design and construction and the right of way acquisition,” said Ingrid Gaub, public works director. “And we do have timelines that are associated with those grants, and so that timeline is that we need to move this project forward to the next phase, which is construction this year.
“If we do not succeed in that process,” Gaub continued, “then we will have to return the grant funds to the grantee. The ability to get future grant funds would be dependent on whatever grant opportunities might be out there in the future, and the criteria for those grant opportunities in the future.”
City officials say they notified the property owners of the ordinance, as state law demands, that negotiations have taken place at which the city presented fair market offers, and that those talks continue with the owners to reach a settlement.
Council discussed the ordinance at its Jan. 26 study session meeting.
