Roundabout gets moving

Ran Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Roundabout gets moving
Project expected to help at busy intersection

By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-Telegram staff

South side motorists will be navigating a new roundabout intersection at Rudolph Road and Golf Road by mid-September.
After monitoring and analyzing the crossroads, Public Works Director Brian Amundson said a roundabout was the best solution to the accident-prone intersection.
With 9,600 vehicles traveling on Golf Road each day and 4,600 on Rudolph Road, the intersection averaged five right-angle accidents annually. Those crashes could be corrected by a four-way traffic light or a roundabout, Amundson said.
"We determined a roundabout was a better solution," Amundson said.
There were three main reasons Amundson cited for the roundabout resolution.
A roundabout reduces the number of conflict points a four-way intersection has from 32 to eight.
Secondly, it reduces the severity of accidents by slowing down speeds.
Lastly, and often most overlooked, according to Amundson, is the reduction of delay for individual drivers.
"If I'm coming up and there is no oncoming traffic, I don't have to stop. I continue driving," Amundson said.
At a traffic light, it's more likely a stop would be mandated.
Kilian Murphy, who lives on the south side and regularly drives on Golf Road, said the inconvenience of the present detour will pay off when construction is over.
Murphy's father, Michael, is a neurologist at Sacred Heart Hospital and Kilian said he likes the roundabout that was installed near the hospital.
"I think it's exciting," the 18-year-old Eau Claire resident said. "It might go a little faster."
At least one roundabout neighbor isn't as excited about the interchange alteration.
Living on one of the roundabouts four corners, Jim Newell, 1515 Golf Road, has his yard marked with plastic neon construction flags.
"I can say I'm not happy about it," Newell said. "It's a foolish project; there are other ways to do it."
His home will remain unscathed, but the yard will have a triangular section cemented as a sidewalk cuts across the yard making room for the new intersection.
Newell said he doesn't think the final product will achieve anything a signal could not.
Amundson said the initial cost of a roundabout is more than a traffic signal, it is more cost effective over time.
By paying less for electricity, bulb replacements and sign replacements, a modern roundabout pays for itself, Amundson said.
Ninety percent of the $230,000 project will be paid for through a federal grant, Amundson said. The remaining 10 percent will come from local tax dollars.
Eau Claire has two other roundabouts, each about two years old. Near Sacred Heart Hospital at the Hendrickson Drive and Heights Drive intersection, a roundabout was installed to clear up a previously awkward Y-intersection, Amundson said.
The other roundabout is in Sherman estates on the west side of Eau Claire.