That means construction could begin any time within the state fiscal year 2022, which is from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.
Federal funding will pay for around 90 percent of the project, Montgomery County Engineer Paul Gruner said. The funding was secured a year earlier than originally thought.
A roundabout is more cost effective than a traffic light at the area, according to the engineer’s office. The cost of construction and right of way acquisition for a traffic signal including turn lanes was estimated at $1.8 million. The estimated cost of construction plus land acquisition for a roundabout was $1.5 million.
The intersection, which sees an average of around 9,000 drivers daily, can be extremely congested, according to the engineer’s office. The intersection is now a four-way stop.
The intersection is one of the most dangerous in the county: 40 crashes occurred there from 2014 to 2016, according the engineer’s office. Nineteen of those resulted in injury.
Roundabouts make dangerous intersections significantly safer, according to the engineer’s office. The roundabout is projected to improve traffic flow, reduce crashes by 35 percent, reduce injury crashes by 76 percent and reduce fatal crashes by 90 percent, according to the engineer’s office.
The roundabout is expected to run efficiently in both high-traffic and low-traffic periods.
While the estimated construction date has been moved up significantly, there are still several steps until the project is finalized.
The next step for the project will be selecting a consulting firm for the roundabout’s final design, Gruner said. There will also be a review of environmental review to look at potential impacts on historic sites and other environmental concerns.
The project couldn’t move forward until the grant funding was approved, according to a previous release from the county engineer.
The roundabout has to prove to be feasible and pass environmental reviews before construction, according to the release.
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