Making a Safer Salem Four Corners: New Roundabout Will Make Intersection Safer

Can a new roundabout make Salem’s Four Corners safer? The Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) believes it will.

A DOT press release states that a $3.53 million roundabout project will eliminate the current four-way signalized intersection at the junction of Routes 82 and 85. The project will begin April 16, 2012 and is expected to be close to completion in November 2012.

The DOT also reports that “a high frequency of head-on turning accidents exists at both the intersection of Route 82 and Route 85 and at the driveway to the gas station on Route 85.”

Other common types of accidents at signalized intersections include right-angle and left-turn. 

The DOT points to a 2001 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study that found the conversion of 23 U.S. intersections from traffic signals or stop signs to roundabouts resulted in a decrease of injury crashes by 80 percent and all crashes by 40 percent.

A similar conversion of high speed rural intersections (40 mph and higher) yielded even better results. In those locations the “average injury crash rate per million entering vehicles reduced by 84 percent and fatal crashes were eliminated.”

A Connecticut DOT report states that the roundabout’s raised islands slow down drivers giving them more time to react resulting in fewer and less severe accidents.

The islands benefit pedestrians since they can now cross the road one lane at a time.

Roundabouts reduce traffic queuing and idling during off-peak hours. It also eliminates left-hand turns.

The DOT reports that while “roundabouts can improve the flow of traffic, it is important to understand that congestion relief is not the primary goal of this project” and that “during rush hour and busy weekend traffic patterns, the intersection will still experience congestion.”

The new Salem roundabout will have a two lane approach from Route 85 northbound and Route 82 eastbound accommodating traffic going to and from the Route 11 expressway.

Additionally the roundabout will feature a relocated entrance for Salem Prime Cuts and Salem Town Center, new sidewalks, a restored wetlands area, benches, and a stamped concrete truck apron allowing trucks to navigate the roundabout.

Other plans include drainage improvements and the addition of plantings and landscaping.

Salem’s first selectman Bob Ross has endorsed the project.

Unlike traffic circles, the DOT reports that roundabouts are smaller; require vehicles to yield on approach, reduce vehicle speed to 20 mph or less, and eliminate the need to weave across traffic to exit.

At Salem Four Corners, delays can be expected starting April 16. Those delays will affect traffic Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Turning lanes will not be available from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Memorial Day to Labor Day and 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. from Labor Day to Memorial Day.

Connecticut completed roundabouts in West Haven and Killingworth. Another roundabout is under construction in Ellington.

Patch Readers: What are your thoughts on converting Salem Four Corners into a roundabout?