Proposing to build a roundabout at the intersection of Line 86 and Floradale road west of Elmira, the region is now seeking public input through its Engage Waterloo Region website.
The region is looking to construction in 2023, with a preliminary budget of $1.2 million.
“It’s a proposed roundabout intersection improvement. The region has done a study and confirmed that that’s the best. Best way to address the traffic of that intersection to keep it moving at a good capacity and reduce accidents,” explained Jeff Nyenhuis, senior engineer with the region and the project’s manager.
The goal is to reduce the severity of collisions at the intersection by replacing the current traffic signals with a roundabout.
“The information that the region has with regards to roundabouts is generally they don’t reduce the number of accidents, but what they do accomplish is that they significantly reduce the severity of accidents,” said Nyenhuis. “Rather than having a traffic signal [where] you can have head-on collisions or you can have T-bone collisions, things like that, where with a roundabout, if there’s collisions, it’ll be rear-end or things like that.”
Data from the region, which has been installing roundabouts for some 15 years, show intersections where traffic circles replace stop lights seen a 35 per cent increase in the number of collisions, but a 51 per cent decrease in collisions that lead to injuries and fatalities.
Set for the summer of 2023, construction is expected to take about four months to complete. Prior to the start, the region will post detour information and circulate more information.
For now, the region is at the public input stage. To participate in the process for the roundabout, visit the project website or contact Jeff Nyenhuis at 519-575-4735. Survey and public comments close on June 13, with a planning committee meeting set for August 10 to discuss the issue.
