With backups sometimes extending beyond the designated turn lane, Sharpes Corner can be a traffic nightmare for people headed to Whidbey Island during the summer months.

The State Highway 20 intersection in Skagit County near Anacortes is also the site of an average of 14 crashes a year over the past 10 years.

The state Department of Transportation is trying to address traffic and safety concerns by installing a roundabout at the busy intersection as well as another one up the hill at the Miller-Gibralter Road intersection, the site of the 2013 accident that killed Janeah and Janesah Goheen of Oak Harbor.

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2018.

State Transportation is holding an open house for the public to ask questions and voice concerns about the $13.4-million project. The open house is 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at Oak Harbor High School.

State officials say installing the roundabouts will help relieve congestion while making the intersections significantly safer.

The roundabout alternative is expected to reduce collisions by 40 percent and injury collisions by 80 percent, state Transportation reported. In comparison, putting in a traffic signal, another option, would reduce collisions by only 10 percent, officials said.

Engineers are looking into incorporating bike and pedestrian elements into the final design based on community feedback, state Transportation officials said.

A more ambitious project was planned for Sharpes Corner years ago, but the funding for the project was cut by state lawmakers in July 2015.

On average, more than 30,000 cars pass through the Sharpes Corner intersection each day, according to state Transportation. Highway 20 is the only road access from Fidalgo Island and the mainland to Whidbey Island and Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

Many cars also pass through Sharpes Corner on the way to the Anacortes ferry terminal.

The roundabout project is being funded through the Connecting Washington gas-tax funding package.