Published: July 16, 2008 05:25 pm      

Plainfield officials report smooth traffic flow at new roundabout

PLAINFIELD — Rush hour back-ups here at the intersection of Hadley Road and Center Street are now a thing of the past, thanks to a new roundabout.

Since its opening nearly two weeks ago on July 2, the circular intersection has improved the flow of traffic, and town officials have had no accidents to report.

“I’ve been there in the evenings from 4:30 to 5:30 and I’ve been very pleased with it,” said Transportation Director Don McGillem. “Traffic has flowed well and I didn’t see any significant back-ups during that time. I’ve received several calls complimenting the intersection with no negative feedback at this time.”

The $750,000 roundabout is part of a $3.6 million renovation of Hadley Road, which is currently having a portion widened from two to three lanes with sidewalks and curbs on each side. McGillem said construction on Hadley Road is expected to be completed by Aug. 13.

“Even though the roundabout is open, we haven’t got all the traffic back on Hadley Road due to the other construction,” McGillem said. “So we haven’t seen the full effects yet.”

The recent Fourth of July holiday weekend provided the new roundabout with its first test of heavy traffic, as a large number of motorists made their way to and from the town’s annual fireworks celebration at nearby Hummel Park.

“So far, so good,” said Betsy Krieger, an official with the Plainfield Police Department. “I haven’t heard of any issues there at all. We had a lot of officers down there on the Fourth of July and everything went really well.”

As with any roundabout, vehicles already in the circle have the right of way, and those entering the intersection must yield. McGillem said entering the circle is a common problem many motorists face.

“You’ve got some individuals that will come up and are in a hurry,” McGillem said. “They’re going to speed up rather than slow down and yield, as if they’re trying to race to get ahead of somebody. The other problem is maybe someone is a little timid about getting into the roundabout and wants a bigger clear zone. They’re being extra careful and maybe two or three cars start to back up.”

McGillem said the roundabout’s striping has been a major factor in preventing accidents.

“Even though it’s a two-lane roundabout, we stripe out the inside lane,” McGillem said. “It’s not a continuous two-lane intersection all the way through, different from the Dan Jones Road-Morris Street roundabout in Avon. What we do here is bring you into the inside lane, and then as you go around 180 degrees, maneuver you into the outside lane to exit.”

While not all roundabouts have the current accident-free status of the one at Hadley and Center, towns across the country have turned to the circular intersections for increased safety.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, motor vehicle crashes have declined by about 40 percent in intersections where roundabouts have been installed, and accidents involving injuries have been reduced by about 80 percent.

Plainfield officials are working to determine if additional circular intersections are in the town’s future.

“We’re going to take a hard look during the next six months or year and see what kind of experience we have,” McGillem said. “We have two or three other locations where we’re contemplating roundabouts, but we want to take a look and see if they’re functioning the way they should, then make the determination.”

There are currently two other roundabouts in Plainfield — at Vestal Road near the Recreation & Aquatic Center, and at the intersection of Center Street and Reeves Road.

kevin.leibrock@flyergroup.com