The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says the roundabout at the intersection of KY 56 and KY 81 has witnessed lower traffic crashes since it opened in October of 2013.
In the three years before the construction of the roundabout, there were 26 reported crashes, with 10 involving injuries. In the two and a half years since the new roundabout was installed, police have recorded 15 crashes, with no reported injuries.
“Going from 10 injury crashes to zero speaks volumes about the added safety provided by the roundabout,” said Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) District 2 Chief Engineer Kevin McClearn, adding that they would prefer those crash rates to be even lower.
According to the KYTC, police crash reports for the roundabout show most of the crashes are rear-end collisions. One crash was caused by someone attempting to back up instead of going around the roundabout to make a connection. A couple of the crashes were in the weeks immediately after the roundabout opened; one was attributed to DUI.
McClearn said the new roundabout is a great improvement over the old “trumpet” intersection it replaced. “A roundabout provides added safety due its eight traffic conflict points as compared to 32 for a normal intersection. Collisions in roundabouts tend to happen at a lower speed and are less likely to cause injuries.”
