ALLEN COUNTY, Ohio (WLIO) — In an effort to make intersections safer, Allen County is getting another roundabout.Â
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The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has decided to install a roundabout at the SR 117 and SR 501 intersection. Between 2013 and 2015 the intersection had 29 crashes which led to the addition of turn lanes, extra lighting and warning signs. Authorities say that while these improvements have helped, the crash pattern has changed, and a roundabout is needed to make driving safer.Â
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The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has decided to install a roundabout at the SR 117 and SR 501 intersection.
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"It's really difficult to say what the reasons for the crashes are. What we have is data from the crash reports that show they are primarily angle crashes, which are usually the ones that are severe where people are either not stopping or they're not yielding to traffic, and they're pulling out and they're getting hit. And so, roundabouts do a fantastic job of addressing this type of crash and we're very confident that it's really going to improve safety out there," said Chris Hughes, deputy director for the Ohio Department of Transportation District 1.
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Traffic will continue to be detoured for the next few months. The project is expected to wrap up in late September.
