If you drive through Greenwood often, it is becoming more and more common to come up on a traffic circle instead of a stoplight, even at the city’s busiest intersections.
But a roundabout is not for every intersection, he said. And not for every driver either.
Some residents and commuters are not fans, and city staff knows that. They’ve taken the calls and received the hate mail, especially after the latest in a series of new roundabouts was built at Smith Valley Road and Madison Avenue, the most high-profile yet. But they’re not new, said Kevin Steinmetz, capital projects manager. Especially not to Greenwood.
Greenwood has about 10 roundabouts, if you include the ones in neighborhoods. Four are on Greenwood city streets. The city is currently preparing to build three others, and more are planned. The city will spend about $3.4 million on roundabouts in the next few years, some of which will come from federal and state grants the city has received.
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The following roundabouts are currently in the works:
- West Main Street and Meadowview Lane, which is being built due to traffic delays, and to improve drainage in the area. The one-land traffic circle is slated for construction in the next year or two. The city estimates it will cost about $1 million;
- West Worthsville Road and Averitt Road, which is scheduled for 2021. The city estimates it will cost about $1.2 million;
- Stones Crossing Road and South Honey Creek Road, an offset intersection. The city estimates that traffic circle, which may not be built until 2022, will also cost about $1.2 million.
Work was just completed at that intersection last month. Crews dug up and replaced the road, from Smokey Row Road to Stones Crossing Road. That project cost $447,000, with half of that funding coming from INDOT, Johnston said.
Almost all the roundabouts that have been constructed or are in the works are part of the city’s long-term goal of better east-west connectivity, Steinmetz said.
The ladder two roundabouts are part of Greenwood’s Worthsville Road Corridor Plan, a long-discussed, $18 million, east-west corridor that is meant to bring traffic from Interstate 69 to interstates 65 and 74.
The city is currently working on the section of the overall project that runs from U.S. 31 to Averitt, a 1-mile stretch that is taking longer than expected to complete due to the number of properties that are impacted, particularly the Greenwood Estates mobile home park.
In 2016, Greenwood received a $7.5 million grant to help pay to build the next phase of the project, which will connect Worthsville and Stones Crossing roads with a new connector road, and help pay for the roundabout at Stones Crossing and Honey Creek roads. The total project cost is about $11.2 million, with the rest of the money coming from the city.
"Any time we can get federal or state funds, residents are getting those taxes back," Steinmetz said. "We’ve been very lucky."
The city does not spend as many tax dollars on these road projects if they have grants to supplement the total cost, which can add up due to the upfront costs. While the city typically only funds about 20 percent of the actual construction, they have to buy the land or right-of-way and pay for the design of a new intersection or roundabout before they can apply for most grants, which brings the city’s portion of a new intersection or roundabout closer to 40 percent, Steinmetz said.Â
The benefits of roundabouts are most notably improving traffic flow and safety, drainage and cutting down on electricity costs, Steinmetz said. Roundabouts also reduce pollution because vehicles aren’t idling at a stop sign or traffic signal, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
City staff says there is a pattern of communication when it comes to adding roundabouts.
First, before a roundabout is even considered, the city has received a high volume of complaints about traffic backups at certain intersections, such as with Main Street and Averitt Road, one of the first roundabouts Greenwood constructed several years ago.
"That tells us maybe we need to look at something else," Steinmetz said.
Then comes the construction, which takes months to complete and causes more frustration, he said.
And finally, the inevitable frustration of learning how to use a new roundabout.
The most common complaint the city gets, though, is about other drivers not knowing how to use roundabouts, said Daniel Johnston, city engineer.
Eventually, the complaints come less often, like with the Smith Valley and Madison roundabout, which opened in October, Steinmetz said.
"People forget how frustrating that (intersection) was before," he said. "Naturally, it just kind of tapers off. It becomes part of people’s daily life, part of their routines. There’s definitely a life cycle to it."
"Ultimately, we’re constantly looking for those intersections that have had issues with traffic congestion," he said.
Roundabouts aren’t always the answer though, Steinmetz said.
For example, it is not practical to have roundabouts in dense areas, such as Old Town, due to the close proximity of the buildings and houses and narrowness of the intersections.
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Here are some tips Greenwood has for using its growing number of roundabouts:
1. Reduce speed during the approach.
2. Observe all road signs and pavement markings.
3. Choose appropriate lane based on desired destination, and do not change lanes within the roundabout.
4. Look to the left before entering.
5. Yield to traffic already in the roundabout.
6. Use caution and allow plenty of space when near a larger vehicle, such as a bus or truck, which may encroach into other lanes.
7. Do not stop in a roundabout.
8. Use signal light when exiting.
9. Be aware of the pedestrian crossing locations.
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Here is a look at roundabouts that are currently in the works and when you can expect to see them:
Main Street and Meadowview Lane
Anticipated construction: 2021
Estimated cost: $1 million
Worthsville and Averitt roads
Anticipated constriction: 2021
Estimated cost: $1.2 million
Stones Crossing and Honey Creek roads
Anticipated construction: 2021 or 2022
Estimated cost: $1.2 million
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