Staying with the story
The Springfield News-Sun has written about the proposed roundabout at the intersection at Bechtle Avenue and St. Paris Connector since it was first announced last year.
By the numbers
$679,000: Cost of the proposed roundabout at North Bechtle Avenue and Saint Paris Connector.
$187,000: Amount of money spent for a feasibility study and design work on the roundabout.
$0: Amount of money the city will spend on the proposed roundabout.
City and transportation leaders want public input on a proposed $679,000 roundabout at one of the busiest intersections in Springfield.
The city has studied constructing a roundabout at North Bechtle Avenue and Saint Paris Connector.
“It’s a viable option,” said Springfield Engineer Leo Shanayda. “We think it’s an alternative to traffic signals.”
Now the city of Springfield, Clark County-Springfield Transportation Coordinating Committee and consultant American Structurepoint will hold an open house from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday at the City Hall Forum, 76 E. High St., to discuss the proposal. Residents can review the design and speak with the consultant. At 5 p.m. they will be able to make comments on the project.
Earlier this year, city commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the $187,000 engineering contract with Indianapolis-based consultant to begin design work and a feasibility study on the traffic circle.
Springfield City Commissioner Kevin O’Neill voted against it and said his position hasn’t changed on the roundabout. It will cause more problems for drivers attempting to exit the nearby Walmart and other restaurants, he said.
“The traffic is pretty thick at times and it’s going to get thicker with that new development that’s going there,” O’Neill said. “I don’t think it’s the end of the world but it’s just not something we need.”
The city and TCC first applied for ODOT funding for the Bechtle roundabout in 2011, but it was rejected due to a lack of crashes at the intersection. A stop sign was initially placed at the intersection until a temporary traffic signal was installed in 2011 to reduce congestion. The three-way intersection has a 35-miles per hour speed limit.
The project was approved by ODOT last year and will be paid for through federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Funds because it will reduce congestion, delays and the risk of crashes, according to officials. The project is at no cost to the city, Shanayda said. If rejected, the money can be used for other CMAQ-eligible projects, but cannot be used to pave neighborhood streets.
If rejected locally, the developer of the shopping center north of Walmart will have to pay for the installation of a permanent traffic signal. He’s already posted a $100,000 bond for the signal, O’Neill said.
“(The signal) has worked just fine there,” O’Neill said.
The increased traffic could have a negative effect on Springfield’s busiest shopping area, O’Neill said.
“It’s going to discourage people from utilizing that area unless they absolutely have to go,” he said.
City staff members are expected to bring the survey to review before city commissioners in January, Shanayda said, which will include public comments from the open house.
The project would be the first true roundabout in Springfield. Calming islands are in some neighborhoods, such as the Sean’s Woods subdivision, to reduce speed in those areas.
Last year, a high-speed traffic circle opened in Clark County at the intersection of Ohio 235 and 41. About 80 people attended an open house for that project, TCC Transportation Director Scott Schmid said.
A TCC traffic study in March showed that about 33,300 vehicles entered the intersection Becthle-St.Paris intersection during a 24-hour period. During the peak hours between 5 and 6 p.m., more than 1,000 vehicles entered the intersection northbound, while about 615 entered southbound and about 530 entered from the St. Paris Connector.
An analysis over the past two months shows a roundabout will work slightly better than a signal in that location during peak conditions, Schmid said, and much better during non-peak conditions.
“We took a step back and looked at it again to make sure we had all of the proposed development into our modeling,” Schmid said. “After looking at it again, we’re still happy with the way it works.”
The traffic circle at Ohio 235 and 41 has had three minor incidents since it opened in October of last year, Schmid said.
“The only feedback we’ve gotten is positive,” he said.
The roundabout is a bad idea for Becthle Avenue, Springfield resident Kirk Ridenour said. He wants more emphasis placed on fixing the traffic at Troy Road and Bechtle Avenue, as well as an easier way to reach U.S. 68 from the north end of the shopping area.
“They take a good idea and they think it has to go everywhere,” Ridenour said.
Motorists have been traveling through the roundabout in Urbana and in European countries for years with no problems, Springfield resident Jeannie Fudge said.
“It would be a great idea as long as people slow down and take their time and learn how to use it correctly like in Urbana,” she said.
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