We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy. In addition, the California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA") provides certain rights with respect to your personal information. Please click here for more information.

Home » Washtenaw County Road Commission's Urban Roundabouts Lead the Nation in Innovation

Washtenaw County Road Commission's Urban Roundabouts Lead the Nation in Innovation

March 30, 2016
ACP Staff
No Comments

LANSING, MI Intersection work is one of the most expensive, time-consuming projects a county road commission performs. But one county road agency has found a way around those issues with the completion of two unique roundabouts in Washtenaw County.

The first two in Michigan and two of only fifteen across the United States, the compact urban roundabouts built by the Washtenaw County Road Commission (WCRC) last summer lead the nation in innovation. Many other county road agencies will be studying this innovation as a possible solution for their own local road systems.

WCRC's compact urban roundabouts, located at the intersection of Textile Road and Hitchingham Road in Ypsilanti, Michigan, solve many of the problems county road agencies normally face in intersection development. They require less space to build, reduced planning and construction time; they increase safety; decrease pollution from idling cars; and are more affordable than traditional intersection solutions.

"In our specific situation, urban roundabouts have been a major win for Washtenaw County residents and the families travelling our roads," said Mark McCulloch, WCRC Engineer, in Crossroads, the quarterly journal of the County Road Association of Michigan.

"Washtenaw County Road Commission was able to utilize the size of the urban roundabout to provide a "Ëœright-size' solution to address capacity issues during peak hours," McCulloch said. "Before the project began, traffic backups regularly occurred at both intersections. Installing urban roundabouts has virtually eliminated the backups."

Apart from their size, WCRC's compact urban roundabouts are unique in that the angles of entry and exit reduce vehicles speeds from 45-55 miles per hour to 20-25 miles per hour, maximizing safety in a wide variety of situations.

After the success of Washtenaw's first two compact urban roundabouts, in the summer of 2016 the WCRC will begin construction on its third.

Michigan Contractor & Builder Projects
  • Related Articles

    Road Commission Celebrates 25th Anniversary of First Adaptive Traffic-Signal System For Non-Freeway Roads In The Nation

    Best County Road Paving Project in the Nation

    The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Receive The 2015 Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction

  • Related Events

    AIA Colorado - The Future of Civic Center Park: Regional & Urban Design Knowledge Community Monthly Meeting

    The Challence of Urban Flooding

    AIA ORANGE COUNTY - AIAOC Lunch Program - Artisanal Craft in Sustainable Spaces

Write
ACP Staff

Lockheed Martin Invests $350M in State-of-the-Art Satellite Production Facility

More from this author

Post a comment to this article

Report Abusive Comment

Select a Region

See stories from other regions.

Select region map Select region map
ACP logo associated construction publications logo
  • About
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Archived Issues
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright ©2021. All Rights Reserved
Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

Copyright ©2021. All Rights Reserved
Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing