MnDOT: Roundabouts, like One Coming to Lakeville, Are a Safer, Quicker Kind of Intersection

Lakeville is headed in the right direction with the roundabout it has planned for the Kenwood Trail-185th Street intersection, according to a St. Paul Pioneer Press article citing the Minnesota Department of Transportation:

"The data show that they are the safest intersections we have," said Ken Johnson, a roundabout expert at MnDOT. ... No one has proved a connection, but fatalities started falling four years ago, which is about when the state's roundabout building binge began. ... Besides safety, the other primary advantage of roundabouts is speed.

During rush hours, MnDOT's Johnson said, cars travel through roundabouts an average of 10 seconds faster. In nonpeak hours, traffic slows only slightly at a roundabout instead of making a full stop at a red light, night or day.

Read the full article at twincities.com.

Lakeville's roundabout is expected to be completed by fall 2014.

Resources:

• Hwy 50-Hwy 60 roundabout web page
• MnDOT roundabout web page

Related at Richfield Patch:

• Learn More About the Proposed Highway 50-Highway 60 Roundabout