$1.8 million roundabout added to dangerous intersection
PLEASANT TWP., Ohio (WCMH) – Franklin County is improving safety at a dangerous intersection.
On Wednesday, Franklin County Engineer Cornell Robertson and partners cut the ribbon on a new roundabout at Norton and Johnson roads.
“Roundabouts are a very effective tool to control traffic,” Robertson said. “They tend to make us feel a little bit uneasy when we come upon them. And to me, that’s a good thing when we’re driving.”
Between 2011-2018, the intersection straddling Pleasant Twp. and Jackson Twp. saw 32 crashes, 15 of which resulted in injuries and one resulted in a fatality.
“It’s not fun, not fun,” said neighbor Phyllis Aldrich of living near the intersection. “In the middle of the night, you’d see the sheriff’s lights going — knowing that you had to get up out of bed and see who was in your front yard or your side yard.”
A safety study found many of the crashes were angle and left turn crashes from failure to yield to oncoming traffic.
The single-lane roundabout was the most practical and cost-effective solution, according to Robertson.
Aldrich and her neighbor, Ann Shaner, attended a ribbon-cutting Wednesday to celebrate the safety improvements.
“Now it is so much better. The speed is different, it isn’t the crazy noise from the cars and it’s a beautiful job,” said Shaner.
The project cost $1,895,000, with $1.5 million coming from ODOT safety funding and the remaining $395,000 coming from local motor registration fees and gas tax revenue.
It was finished 15 days ahead of schedule on Aug. 1.