Monday, Jun. 08, 2009

O'Fallon officials say roundabout saving lives

O'FALLON -- City leaders say the cost and inconvenience caused by turning the intersection of State Street and Obernuefemann Road into a roundabout was statistically worth it.

According to information released by Mayor Gary Graham, there have been only four two-car collisions at the site since it opened nearly a year ago, and three more accidents in which a single car damaged part of the roundabout. None of the accidents resulted in injuries.

"The State and Obernuefemann roundabout has made it safer for our residents as they drive through this area of our city," Graham said. "In addition to providing a safer intersection, the roundabout has also mitigated traffic congestion and pollution."

Graham said that in the two years before the roundabout opened -- including two months during which it was closed -- there were 24 accidents at the crossroads, half of which resulted in injuries.

City Administrator Walter Denton said the intersection had become a high-traffic area that previously was controlled only by stop signs. Motorists sometimes didn't notice the signs, causing the potential for violent, high speed collisions. The roundabout forces drivers to slow down to negotiate the intersection.

According to IDOT figures, about 16,000 cars a day navigate the roundabout, with 11,000 heading east and west on State Street and 5,000 heading north and south along Obernuefemann and Green Mount roads.

The roundabout cost about $1.05 million; about $740,000 came from a federal grant administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

According to Denton, a traditional stoplighted intersection wouldn't have worked well because a set of active railroad tracks that run parallel to West State Street to the north complicate the intersection. Traffic should stay out of the way of trains through the more free-flowing roundabout.