Roundabout considered for Taft Hill and Vine Drive

By JoAn Bjarko
North Forty News

The residents around Taft Hill Road and Vine Drive, as well as commuters, have more than the average road construction project to think about.

Engineers with Larimer County recently decided that a roundabout might better handle traffic at that intersection than a traffic light. For sure, the four-way stop signs have to go.

The merits of a roundabout or signal will be presented at an Aug. 24 open house, 5 to 8 p.m., at the courthouse office building in Fort Collins. Given the controversy of roundabouts, county commissioners will hold a public hearing at a later date and make the final decision. The hearing is tentatively set for late September.

Costs for either option - including 1.5 miles of road reconstruction - are about the same, according to project manager Kyle Arend, and that's $3.5 million. The major difference is where and how much right of way is needed. A modern roundabout - about 130 feet in diameter - will allow the county to save 15 to 20 mature trees when it widens the roadway, Arend said.

The overall project calls for reconstruction of Taft Hill Road from LaPorte Avenue to the Poudre River. Most construction will occur in the summer of 2007.

Larimer County has already purchased the properties at the northwest and northeast corners of Taft Hill and Vine for right of way, and much of the proposed roundabout would overlap those properties.

While roundabouts take up more space at the immediate intersection, a signalized intersection would have turning lanes beginning 700 feet away from the light.

This is the first time the county's engineers have proposed a roundabout. Traffic engineer Martina Wilkinson said the option emerged as the county documented the need for a traffic light. Traffic needs fell short of meeting most of the criteria for a signal, yet the four-way stop is inadequate for morning rush hour, about 7:20 to 8:30 a.m., Wilkinson said. The intersection is near three schools - Irish Elementary, Lincoln Junior High and Poudre High School.

Noting that most people say they dislike roundabouts, Wilkinson pointed out the differences between a modern roundabout and the large traffic circles found along the East Coast. The Taft Hill and Vine proposal is similar to what Fort Collins is building at Ziegler and Kechter roads. It is scheduled to open to traffic in late August. Up-to-date web cam photos are available at www.fcgov.com/roundabout/traffic-camera.php.

A traffic circle, also called a rotary, can be 400 to 500 feet in diameter and is designed for traffic speeds of 40 miles per hour. A roundabout is designed for 20 miles per hour, Wilkinson said, and all oncoming traffic yields to traffic in the circle.

Arend said roundabouts present a learning curve for American drivers, but statistically they have fewer accidents. He added that it is easier for drivers to adjust to a roundabout after using four-way stop signs than converting from a signalized intersection. Because of the stop signs, drivers are already used to always slowing down as they approach the intersection.

More information about the differences between a roundabout and traffic signal is available at www.larimer.org/engineering/taft-vine. Arend can be reached at 498-5734 and Wilkinson can be reached at 498-5731.