After securing agreements from the last property owner needed for a roundabout project near Birch Bay, Whatcom County Public Works officials said they’ll be able to put the project out to bid this fall.
Construction for the roundabout at the intersection of Birch Bay-Lynden Road and Blaine Road is expected to begin in summer 2027, with the goal of fixing the flow of traffic in an area known for worsening vehicle backups, especially during busy summer months.
The total cost for the project, including preliminary engineering and right of way acquisition, is $3.8 million. It would replace what is now a four-way stop.
Before reaching the agreement with GKT Express Mart — owned by Three Stars TGG Corp., which is made up of three individuals — last week, county officials were considering eminent domain proceedings to take a small piece of the gas station property at 4485 Birch Bay-Lynden Road to keep the project on track for summer construction next year. That timeline required them to put the project out to bid this fall.
The gas station is at the southeast corner of the intersection.
Andrew Hester, real estate coordinator for Whatcom County Public Works, told the County Council last week that the county began formal negotiations for the project in November 2024 and had secured most property rights by late spring 2025. But not for the part of the gas station property needed for the roundabout.
“For the most part negotiations with them have been great, positive. They’re supportive of the project but they’ve been very slow,” Hester said to the County Council on Aug. 11 during an afternoon work session.
At the County Council meeting that night, council members decided against eminent domain proceedings after Hester said the county had secured property rights through possession and use agreements.
Under those agreements, the county will pay $86,350 for the property rights, to cover the costs of relocating a gas station price sign and to replace vegetation like shrubs and ground cover.
The property rights cover a right-of-way acquisition of 938 square feet and a temporary construction easement of 1,556 square feet at the northwesterly corner of the property, Public Works officials said to The Northern Light.
The agreements essentially allow the county to rent the land for the project as negotiations continue for the 938 square feet that the county wants to buy, according to Gurdip Garcha.
Garcha said the three owners do support the project but part of the delay on their end were the hours they worked, different owners being out of town so it was hard to get together, and the initial low offer from the county.
“It also involved a lot of work on our side, too,” Garcha said to The Northern Light.
But he said the roundabout project is needed because Birch Bay-Lynden Road is busy, especially seasonally, he’s seen accidents, and impatient drivers quickly cut through the gas station as a shortcut to avoid the backup — causing damage when they strike a railing or garbage area on the property. Garcha fears that a motorist taking a shortcut may one day hit customers going in or out of the gas station convenience store.
“Hopefully this should solve my issue,” Garcha said of the roundabout, which he sees as good for the public and good for businesses if it helps with traffic flow.
Money for the project will come from $2.2 million in federal grants because part of Blaine Road is a state route and $1.6 million from local road funds.
As for how much traffic backs up, a 2021 study found an average delay of 18 seconds per vehicle during peak-hour traffic on weekdays. That grew to an average delay of 86 seconds per vehicle for peak-hour traffic on weekdays during the summer.
That only worsens when population and traffic growth are projected out to 2045, according to county data.
Weekday peak-hour traffic would reach an average delay of 105 seconds per vehicle, and would hit average delays of 346 seconds per vehicle during peak traffic in summer.
