Construction of the city’s first modern roundabout is nearing completion.
Photo: Todd Gill, Flyer staff
Drivers will get a closer look at the city’s new roundabout at North Hills Boulevard at Futrall Drive near Washington Regional Medical Center beginning Tuesday, Nov. 27.
Construction isn’t quite complete, but traffic will be rerouted through a single lane in the roundabout for two months while crews work to finish the project.
Temporary striping, signage, and construction barrels will be in place to help drivers navigate the area, according to a news release.
Also, the off ramp from the Fulbright Expressway will be reduced to one lane to allow for modifications to the ramp.
Drivers are asked to remember that vehicles entering a roundabout are required to yield to traffic already in the roundabout.
Clockwise! No, wait…counterclockwise! Hmm…we’ll figure it out.
Jolly good.
Look! Big Ben!
finally!
I originally posted this to the overview…sorry about the duplicate….I was wondering if it is true that the city gave the old city hospital to WRMC in exchange for the land it had to take from WRMC? If so, were there any studies done to determine if this was a fair exchange for the city? It seems to me, again I am not certain, that using the laws of emanate domain they could have taken what little unused land was involved cheaper then giving a prime piece of down town realestate to WRMC. If it was given to WRMC, did the city put any restrictions on the transaction, IE WRMC must use the faciity as a down town clinic? I have only heard this through the grape vine…but found it troubling.
I had hopes that the city could have found some other use for the old city hospital. Wouldn’t that builidng have been a great place to provide discounted office space to non-profits…much like the Jones Center in Springdale or the old St. Mary’s Hospital in downtown Rogers…..Futher, its proximity to city hall would have made a logical choice for future expansion of city hall…again I do not know if we need to be concerned about future growth, but just am concerned that if the grape vine is correct, was it well thought out? A new non-profit center in downtown Fayetteville could have been a driving force to further growth of that area…Or that space could even have been utilized by the public library as a learning and education center….here is to hoping that this was a fair trade and that it was fully thought out before being executed…
I would love to hear from someone with ties to the city to find out if this transaction occured and if so, about the specific details of this transaction. If it did occur, when did the city make the deal with WRMC; what was the deal; was an appraisal done of both properties; did the city consider other options for the old City Hospital?
Don is not the only one wondering why old City Hospital isn’t being used for a public purpose similar to the one intended originally. Especially after community service organizations have been put out of their buildings with this new transaction. Has the city published a timeline of library and city hospital interchange/interaction going back at least to the early 90′s when the shuffling moved into high gear? How have past transactions brought us to the present problematic confusing situation?
The City Hospital property is a great location for a community health clinic.
I would advise all local insurance companies to have their claims adjusters on 24-hour standby starting today.
The FHWA has a video about modern roundabouts that is mostly accurate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhHzly_6lWM ).
Modern roundabouts are the safest form of intersection in the world. Search http://www.iihs.org for FAQs and safety facts (the insurance industry’s research org). The safety comes from the ‘slow and go’ operation instead of the ‘stop or go fast’ way a stop light works. The smaller size of the modern roundabout is what makes them safer and keeps speeds in the 20 mph range. This makes it much easier to avoid a crash or stop for pedestrians. It also means that if a crash happens the likelihood of injury is very low. Safety is the #1 reason there are over 2,400 modern roundabouts in the US today and many more on the way.
Since moving to Beantown, I can tell you this place is ripe with roundabouts. At first they’re a little daunting… who goes first, etc? But pretty soon you see that not only are they smart, they actually enhance traffic flow… you get used to it and an added benefit is you kind of have to slow down and be civilized to other drivers. IO likes it. My advice is give it a shot before you condemn.
Do they paint lane markings on multi-lane roundabouts up there, or do they follow Waco’s pattern and leave it a free for all?
The larger ones I’ve been on do have inner circles but after a while you just adapt to what’s happening. It requires awareness and sometimes eye contact. I’ve just been most impressed by the continuous-movement facet that I think ultimately improves traffic flow.
“Hans Monderman, the traffic engineer who suggested the counterintuitive removal in 2003 of a red light in Drachten, the Netherlands, went on to promote the concept of “shared space,” which quickly took hold in Europe. He began with the observation that, when an electrical failure incapacitated traffic lights, the result was improved flow rather than congestion. As an experiment, he replaced the busiest traffic-light intersection in Drachten, handling 22,000 cars a day, with a traffic circle, an extended bicycle path, and a pedestrian area. In the two years following the removal of the traffic light, the number of accidents plummeted to only two, compared with thirty-six crashes in the four years prior to the redesign. Traffic moves more briskly through the rotary, since all drivers know they must be alert and use their common sense, while backups and the road rage associated with them have virtually disappeared. Monderman likened it to skaters on a crowded ice rink, who manage successfully to tailor their movements to those of the other skaters. He also believed that an excess of signage led drivers to take their eyes off the road and actually contributed to making junctions less safe.” — James C. Scott. “Anarchist Calisthenics.” Harper’s Magazine December 2012: 17-20
Roundabouts work. Lots of cities have them, Europe has been using them for decades they really improve the flow and reduce the stop and go problems. Just don’t surf or text.