The Ohio Department of Transportation is helping educate Van Wert residents on how to drive a roundabout.
The county will be getting its first roundabout this summer at the intersection of U.S. 127 and Marsh Road. Construction will start in June, after school lets out for the year, and is expected to be complete when students return in the fall. ODOT District 1 held a driver safety event to show people how to navigate a single-lane roundabout.
“The roundabout is really the best tool that we have in the toolbox,” says Chris Hughes ODOT District 1 Deputy Director. “It slows traffic down it reduces conflict points and we see tremendous benefits to converting intersections like this from a two-way stop control to a roundabout. Studies have shown an 82% reduction in serious crashes and so that's a huge benefit.”
Hughes says they have tried other ways to reduce serious traffic crashes at the intersection but decided that a roundabout was the best option to achieve it.
