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.
An approved $187,000 engineering contract means the proposed North Bechtle Avenue roundabout project will begin design work this fall, despite the objections of one Springfield official.
City commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the contract with Indianapolis-based American Structurepoint, Inc. to perform both a feasibility study and design services for the roundabout project.
Earlier this year, state transportation officials approved plans to build a $679,000 roundabout at North Bechtle Avenue and the St. Paris Connector, one of Springfield’s busiest intersections. The project 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. It was approved by the Ohio Department of Transportation last year.
City Commissioner Kevin O’Neill, however, voted against the contract and believes the project will not help reduce congestion in the highly-trafficked shopping area. He could not be reached for comment Friday, but previously told the News-Sun he believes the roundabout will cause more problems for drivers attempting to exit the nearby Walmart and other restaurants.
The contractor will perform a traffic survey to determine existing and future traffic patterns, as well as hold a public meeting to hear the community’s opinion about the roundabout. They’re expected to bring the survey to review before the city commission sometime this fall, said City Engineer Leo Shanayda.
The roundabout will reduce congestion because drivers aren’t waiting at traffic signals, Shanayda said.
“It’s always a continuous flow,” Shanayda said. “If somebody else is in the circle, you’re yielding, but you’re not sitting, waiting for the light to move. If no one is present, you can move through it.”
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.
The city and the Clark County-Springfield Transportation Coordinating Committee first applied for funding for the roundabout in 2011 from the Ohio Department of Transportation, 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 average amount of traffic has increased from 13,100 vehicles daily in 2010 to 14,500 in 2011, the most recent year data is available.
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