Williams County has been awarded $4.25 million from the state to install a single-lane roundabout at U.S. 20 and Ohio 49 in an effort to improve safety.
Williams County Sheriff Tom Kochert said while he believes the verdict is still out on whether roundabouts increase safety, he believes the traffic control device will help in that area.
“Especially if there’s something that happens on the Ohio Turnpike, like a crash or something, Route 20 gets a lot of truck traffic already because of the truck stops, if one of them tries to turn left on (Ohio) 49, 20 doesn’t stop and we get a lot of messes up that way.
“This should keep traffic moving because no one really has to stop, but they do have to slow down and that of itself should make it safer,” Kochert added.
The money is part of $63 million recently awarded around Ohio through the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Improvement Program. The overall funding will go toward 19 safety projects in 14 counties.
This will be the first roundabout built in Williams County. It is projected to be completed in 2029. Kochert said as the first roundabout in the county, there may need to be an education program, but added residents of Williams County aren’t unfamiliar with them as there are several near Fort Wayne and Angola in Indiana, and others along U.S. 20A.
“It will be a learning curve for some, and when we get closer to construction we’ll probably put something out on our social media page,” Kochert said.
Officials say roundabouts are a proven safety measure for reducing severe crashes. Studies by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) show that roundabouts achieve a 44% reduction in crashes and reduce serious injury and deadly crashes by nearly 90% at two-way stop intersections. When roundabouts replaced traffic signals, FHWA found a 48% reduction in crashes and a nearly 80% drop in serious injury and deadly crashes.
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