There was no public discussion by Waynesboro City Council members before a vote concerning a proposed roundabout at Rosser Avenue and 13th Street at last week’s regular meeting.
City Council unanimously approved a resolution in support of an application for a revenue-sharing program with the Virginia Department of Transportation on Sept. 8. Councilor Terry Short abstained from the vote due to employment with VDOT.
If VDOT matches the funds as submitted in the application, the dollars to complete the project would be allocated in 2027.
The traffic signal was removed in 2017 due to a failure of the pole supporting the wiring, according to the city. It has since been converted to a two-way stop.
Since the change, there have been 15 crashes at the intersection, according to the Waynesboro Police Department.
Traffic counts conducted in 2017 at the location led the city to consider constructing a new roundabout or replacing the stoplight, according to Leslie Tate, director of community development, in her presentation to City Council.
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The city determined that it would be both cost efficient and safer to convert the intersection to a roundabout instead of replacing the traffic light.
City Manager Mike Hamp said that the city hasn’t looked back at the decision, in part because it is a Smart Scale project, and city has certain obligations to meet the requirements of the grant program.
“I believe that the industry standard is that the roundabout is less expensive to construct and has less ongoing operational and maintenance costs than signals,” Hamp told AFP.
Safety was another factor in making the decision, Hamp said.
“Roundabouts present lower risks of serious crashes, injuries, fatalities; a signalized intersection would likely not score as well as the roundabout facility,” he said.
According to a briefing prepared in advance of Monday night’s City Council meeting, the total project cost has now more than doubled the original estimate for the roundabout, at $918,870.
A previous state Smart Scale grant was awarded to the city for the roundabout for $578,937, but a $339,933 shortfall remains.
If the VDOT application is approved, the city would be responsible for its match for the roundabout, roughly $170,000.
Engineering plans for the roundabout are nearly complete, Tate said.
City Council meeting: Roundabout presentation and vote
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Crystal Graham
