The Lucas County engineer’s office kicks off the 2023 construction season on Monday, April 3, with a new roundabout at Brint and Centennial roads in Sylvania Township.
The project was awarded to Crestline Paving and Excavating of Toledo, and is expected to take 45 days to complete.
All road closures and detours can be found online at co.lucas.oh.us/3422/Lucas-County-Engineers-Office by viewing the “road closure map.”
This project marks the sixth roundabout improvement in Sylvania Township and the second along Centennial Road.
“We are looking forward to our 27th roundabout intersection improvement for our office,” said Mike Pniewski, county engineer. “The roundabout at Brint and Centennial will result in a significantly lower risk of crashes that cause death and serious injury while providing good traffic flow.”
“Last year, our office installed four new roundabouts,” he continued. “A second roundabout will begin construction at Sylvania Avenue and Kilburn Road in Richfield Township in July.”
Roundabouts are proven to be safer than traffic signals or traditional two and four-way stops because they have only eight points of conflict compared to 32 at a traditional intersection, he explained.
According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), studies have shown roundabouts achieve a 35 percent reduction in all crashes, 76 percent reduction in injuries and 90 percent reduction in serious injury and deadly crashes at two-way stop intersections.
When roundabouts replace a traffic signal, FHWA found a 48 percent reduction in crashes and nearly 80 percent drop in serious injury and deadly crashes.
But safety isn’t the only benefit; they also are more efficient for time and save on gas. This is because traffic generally doesn’t need to come to a full stop at the intersection.
Taxpayers also save money as there is no signal equipment to install and repair, which results in an average of $5,000 per year in electricity and maintenance costs. The service life of a roundabout is 25 years compared to 10 years for a traffic signal.
