MONROE — The city is close to getting what appears to be the first “roundabout” intersection in Green County.
The intersection at 31st Avenue and 13th Street on the city’s northeastern edge was slated for a redesign to handle traffic related to the building of a new, nearby Monroe High School. The $88 million project, including renovations to Abraham Lincoln elementary, has been underway for months, slowed only by the cold weather.
The city’s Public Works Committee, meanwhile, is eyeing the roundabout installation or a more costly realignment of the intersection/roadway to meet traffic demand for MHS. Preliminary cost estimates have the roundabout costing the city $1.25 million, compared to more than $1.75 million for a “realigned, signalized,” intersection, according to Monroe City Administrator Brittney Rindy.
Rindy said it is far from a done deal but most on the Common Council seem to favor the cheaper roundabout alternative.
“I’m pretty optimistic,” she said.
The nearest one to Green County is likely in Mount Horeb. Across the state line, Rockford, Ill. has started installing them at problem intersections there with at times mixed results.
Though considered much safer than a busy signal intersection and not super rare in Wisconsin — there are 550 such intersections statewide — roundabouts sometimes have a learning curve. In general, the main rule is to yield to traffic on your left before entering the intersection.
“Roundabouts have become an efficient and safe way for drivers to travel in Wisconsin,” said a Wisconsin DOT statement on the subject. “The… roundabouts across the state are designed to reduce crashes and help improve traffic flow.”
The data on crashes is convincing, WISDOT and experts said.
“Crash data proves roundabouts are safer than traditional intersections because there are fewer right-angle, head-on, and left-turn collisions, which can be very dangerous for passengers,” Wisconsin State Patrol Superintendent Tim Carnahan said, in the DOT statement. “Roundabouts also keep traffic moving smoothly. Drivers must slow down and yield to vehicles to the left, but everyone keeps going. So, you will get to places quicker and safer.”
There are an estimated 36,000 crashes at Wisconsin intersections every year. Compared to other types of intersection control, roundabouts reduce fatal crashes by about 90%; injury crashes by about 75%, and overall crashes by about 35%, DOT said.
If it moves forward, the roundabout construction would need final approval from the Common Council, Rindy said.