The Burlington City Council is expected to move forward with a plan to install a roundabout to replace the intersection of West Avenue and West Burlington Avenue after the measure was discussed at a Monday night work session.
The roundabout is part of $1.7 million in improvements to the roads surrounding the proposed Silgan Containers location in the Flint Ridge Business Park on Division Street. Public Works Director Steve Hoambrecker says that roundabout intersections are safer and will ultimately prove popular.
“There’s a 37% overall reduction in collisions…vehicle delays are usually reduced between 64% and 72%…I think that when people learn to navigate it the conclusion they’ll get will lead them to ask, ‘When are we going to get one on Division Street?'” Hoambrecker said.
French-Reneker-Associates will be tapped for engineering and design services on that project.
Roundabouts, sometimes known as traffic circles, are circular intersections that do not use stop lights and do not stop the flow of traffic. While the roundabout will add costs to the project, City Engineer Ryne Thornburg says that savings on traffic light costs and maintenance will ultimately even out the extra expense.
