FALL RIVER, N.S. – A new traffic roundabout in Fall River opened Tuesday with few disruptions to the morning commute.
Rush hour at the intersection where Highway 2 connects with on-ramps for Highway 102 typically features bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Motorists are welcoming the new setup, which they say is an improvement over the three-way intersection with traffic lights that came before it.
“Looks like the traffic’s flowing pretty good this morning, and if that’s any indication, I think they did a pretty good job,” said Dave Sexton.
“I guess it’s been short term pain for hopefully some long-term gain.”
The roundabout is expected to help reduce emissions and improve safety according to Keith Boddy, a senior highway design engineer with the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.
He said safety is a big part of why roundabouts are being built.
“Head-on collisions are almost completely eliminated and t-bone crashes are also almost completely eliminated,” he said.
Growth in the area caused motorists to face long lineups, and a study recommended changing the intersection to a roundabout.
“They are a lot safer for the travelling public, so we’re using it as a safety tool as engineers, designers and planners,” Boddy said.
A few cars did drive the wrong way on the roundabout Tuesday morning. Boddy said it will take a some time for drivers to get used to the new intersection.
He’s urging drivers to slow down when approaching the roundabout, yield to cars already driving in the circle and to take their time to get familiar with it.
There’s still much more to do in the area, such as paving, landscaping, curbs, and lights. There are only a few yield signs up so far, so people are being asked to use extra caution when driving in the area.
Construction will continue overnight as crews finish building it and re-pave the road. The work is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
More than 20 roundabouts have been built around the province in the past decade. There are three where Larry Uteck Boulevard connects with Highway 102.
Workers are in the final stages of another at the intersection of Agricola Street and Cunard Street in Halifax, and another will be built nearby starting in the spring.
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