Public’s last chance to discuss roundabout
4-way stop at Alex Bell and Mad River roads often site of backups.
The public will have a final chance to weigh in next week on the construction of a roundabout at a Washington Twp. intersection that is often backed up with traffic and a magnet for accidents.
Montgomery County Commissioners viewed the $1.25 million project planned to relieve congestion at the intersection of Mad River and West Alex Bell roads immediately following its commission meeting this week.
Rex Dickey, a project manager with the county engineer’s office, presented the case for the roundabout to commissioners Tuesday.
“There are two main reasons: crashes and congestion,” he said.
Dickey said the intersection consistently ranks among the top for crashes in the county’s roadway system.
Dickey said an analysis of crashes there from 2014 through 2016 revealed 40 crashes related to the intersection, 19 of them resulted in injuries. More than half — 24 — were rear-end crashes and another
12 were angle crashes.
An average 9,050 vehicles a day enter the intersection on West Alex Bell Road while another 8,700 travel Mad River Road. Backups can extend 1,000 feet and block intersections of other nearby roads, he said.
Montgomery County Commissioner Carolyn Rice questioned whether the new design had the capacity to handle the amount of traffic.
Montgomery County Engineer Paul Gruner said the proposed roundabout is designed to carry the existing amount of traffic and more, though he doesn’t foresee a future swell.
“The destinations at either ends of these roads are pretty well developed out already,” he said. “From Mad River you have the city of Kettering at the north end and the Dayton
Mall area at the south end. And then Alex Bell, you have Centerville to the east and West Carrollton and Moraine to the west. So there is not going to be a tremendous increase in traffic.”
Dickey said traffic engineers grade the flow at intersections from an A, being best, to an F: “This intersection operates at a level of service F.”
The county put together proposals for the intersection and collected comments during a 30-day period ending in July 2018. The county engineer selected a roundabout as the best alternative.
Dickey said the first roundabout in the county’s system will move traffic through the intersection at roughly 20 mph, be gentler on the environment and safer for motorists.
“Drivers approaching the intersection rarely have to stop,” he said. “(That) means less idling, less pollution and they’re quieter.”
Roundabouts reduce all crashes 35% and are shown to reduce injury accidents 76% and fatalities 90%, Dickey said.
Dickey said there are more than 200 roundabouts in the state, including more than 20 in Butler County and eight in Warren County.
If approved next week, right-of-way acquisition will begin next month and continue through most of next year followed by tree removal and utility relocation. Construction is scheduled to begin in May 2022 and be completed in August of 2022.
The county has already acquired one property and will demolish a house to accommodate the roundabout. Two other private properties will be affected if the plan moves forward, according to the county.
Design and engineering of the project is slated to cost $256,000 and construction $990,000, according to the county. Federal Safety Funds will pay for 90% of the design and construction costs and 70% of the right-of-way costs, according to the county engineer’s office, which may also receive $200,000 in state funding if approved.
The public hearing for the roundabout project will be Tuesday at the 1:30 p.m. Montgomery County Commission meeting. Due to the pandemic, the meeting will be conducted virtually via Zoom and livestreamed on the county’s Facebook page, @MontgomeryCounty. If you wish to participate or testify, contact Clerk of Commission Emily Bradford at 937-225-6491 or bradforde@ mcohio.org for additional instructions.