Crashes at intersections account for roughly 30% of all traffic deaths each year, killing 362 people in 2023 and 104 people so far this year, according to ODOT.
In Butler Twp., $3.4 million has been allocated for a 2029 project to install a single-lane roundabout at the Frederick Pike and Old Springfield Road intersection, near the Dayton International Airport.
This intersection was the site of a fatal crash last June.
A roundabout was completed nearby last year at Union Airpark Boulevard and Dog Leg Road to improve truck traffic flow through the commercial development in the area.
Studies by the Federal Highway Administration show roundabouts achieve a 44% reduction in crashes and reduce serious and deadly crashes by nearly 90% at two-way stop intersections.
When roundabouts replace a traffic signal, FHWA found a 48% reduction in crashes and a nearly 80% drop in serious and deadly crashes.
In Harrison Twp., $3.9 million of the state funding will go toward the construction of a single-lane roundabout at the intersection of Siebenthaler Avenue and Catalpa Drive.
This intersection was the subject of a safety study conducted by the Montgomery County Engineer’s Office last year.
This project is set to commence in 2030.
Just north of Huber Heights in Miami County, $3.4 million has been allocated to construct a single-lane roundabout at the State Route 201 and State Route 571 intersection in 2028.
Several traffic collisions have occurred in the area near this intersection. Last March, a semi smashed through a house near the corner with a resident inside.
Situated in a rural/suburban area between Tipp City and New Carlisle, five miles north of the I-70 interchange in Huber Heights, the intersection was subsequently the subject of a safety study.
Results of the analysis concluded a single-lane roundabout may provide crash reductions and improve safety, officials said last year.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Other funds allocated in the region include $2 million for the installation of a cable median barrier on US 68, from US 40 to State Route 334 in 2025; and $935,000 for construction of a single-lane roundabout at West Chester and McCauly Road in 2027.
A roundabout installed at the intersection of Mad River and West Alex Bell roads in Washington Twp., which was completed in August 2022, was the first constructed by Montgomery County.
While the circular intersection idea has been gaining steam locally and nationwide, not all communities are ready to get on board.
In December, Oakwood suspended a proposal for a roundabout at the Far Hills Avenue intersection of Oakwood Avenue and Thruston Boulevard, also known as Five Points.
This decision came despite preliminary state notice that $3 million — more than half of projected construction costs — was to be made available, according to the city.
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Oakwood officials said at the time the number of access points at the intersection complicates the process of choosing the safest solution.
Earlier this year, the city of Kettering also scrapped an idea to construct a roundabout at an odd T-intersection at a curve on Marshall Road, instead opting to reduce lanes to increase safety near the Marshall/Lincoln Park Boulevard intersection just off Wilmington Pike.
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