Drivers may have to take it slower following the construction of a roundabout on the north end of Oak Harbor.

The Washington State Department of Transportation is starting construction on the compact roundabout on Highway 20 at West Fakkema Road on Sept. 22. The project is meant to improve mobility and safety on the busy stretch of road, according to a press release from the state.

On Tuesday, the Oak Harbor City Council also discussed the possibility of reducing the speed limit on the highway in the area from the current 50 mph to 40 mph. Engineers from WSDOT actually proposed only reducing the speed limit to 45 mph, but the council members argued that setting the speed at the slower speed would be more consistent.

The proposal was tabled until the next workshop, as council members wanted to explore whether the city has the authority to alter the state’s recommendation.

At the meeting, City Engineer Alex Warner presented a proposed ordinance relating to speed limits on Highway 20. He recommended reducing the speed limit on this section of the highway within the city limits from 50 mph to 45 mph. The 45 mph zone will extend up to Hoffman Road, he noted.

WSDOT used data driven evidence, comparing highways across the state to determine where the most severe and fatal accidents happen. Through that analysis, WSDOT decided to place a compact roundabout on the intersection of Highway 20 and West Fakkema Road, which is within the city limits, to reduce the severity and number of collisions, Warner said. The city engineering division has reviewed WSDOT’s analysis and agreed with it, he said.

“A 5 mph reduction doesn’t sound like a lot but could have a fairly sizable impact in the reduction of the severity of accidents,” he said. “But even more so the implementation of the roundabout is really going to be the piece that reduces severity of accidents.”

The topic sparked a debate among council members, including Christopher Wiegenstein, Eric Marshall, James Marrow and Jim Woessner. They questioned why they couldn’t reduce the speed to 40 mph all the way through as the intersection switches to 40 mph soon after.

“I’ve always wondered why we didn’t have that speed limit area of Fakkema Road reduced to 40 mph,” Woessner said. “It even makes enforcement harder and actually you have the issue of drivers not understanding that transition, you know, reducing 5 miles an hour, speeding up 5 miles an hour, reducing again 5 miles an hour.”

Warner said he originally asked WSDOT to set the speed at 40 mph, but that the state “could not support that large of a reduction.”