Love them, hate them, or get stuck on them, roundabouts are here to stay, and work has now begun on a new one in Fairfield Township.
The roundabout will be located at the intersection of Hamilton Enterprise Park Drive, Hamilton-Mason Road, and Gilmore Road. The $1.7m construction project is part of the development of the Gilmore Road corridor, and township trustees say the roundabout will make traveling through the area safer. It is estimated that the work will take 13 weeks.
In addition to traffic safety, it is thought the roundabout will encourage businesses to move into township properties that are currently vacant. If businesses move in, more traffic will be created, making the roundabout even more important to keep traffic moving. Enterprise Park is in the immediate area, where a medical facility is located. Other facilities in the park include Fairfield Township Fire Station 212, and StoryPoint Senior Living will soon open.
Butler County has been very successful it its use of roundabouts, with statistics for accidents in the county well below the national average. The devices have reduced overall crashes by 60%, injury crashes by 80%, and fatal and serious crashes by 100%. Greg Wilkens, the Butler County Engineer, said the County has found roundabouts more efficient and safer than other traffic control devices at particular locations.
Work on the roundabout should finish early in November. Flyer printing can be used to create informative materials describing situations like this.
