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ROADS Roundabout eyed for Highway 140 The project would cost about $2 million but would save lives, ODOT says Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Apr. 22, 2016 at 4:47 PM Updated Apr 22, 2016 at 6:53 PM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Apr. 22, 2016 at 4:47 PM Updated Apr 22, 2016 at 6:53 PM » Social News A $2 million roundabout that could handle semi-trucks with triple trailers is in the works for a proposed new intersection at Highway 140 as part of an extension of Foothill Road. The Oregon Department of Transportation has recommended the circular intersection because it would be a safer alternative than a conventional intersection with a traffic signal that could result in more and deadlier accidents. A large roundabout in Astoria and several roundabouts in Washington have had no fatal accidents in the past five years, according to ODOT. “We responded back that we’re OK with a roundabout, but the county wouldn’t be able to afford it,” said John Vial, director of Jackson County Roads and Parks. ODOT, the county and the city of Medford have been working for years to create a new four-lane highway from Phoenix to Highway 140 that would provide an alternative route to Interstate 5 and would also relieve congestion on Highway 62. Vial said the county had planned to invest $2.5 million to extend Foothill from Corey Road to Highway 140 and put in a standard intersection with traffic signals. He said the traffic signals at the new intersection of the highway and Foothill and Atlantic Avenue would cost roughly $300,000, far less than the estimate for the roundabout. But ODOT, which is in charge of Highway 140, suggested a roundabout instead. “We responded, ‘if you want to help fund it, we think it’s a good project,' ” Vial said. ODOT has been studying the idea, but so far the project isn’t in the highway agency's funding pipeline. “From our point of view, we think a roundabout would be safer,” said ODOT spokesman Gary Leaming. He said the general public doesn’t have a good idea of the safety benefits of roundabouts, which are popular on the East Coast and in Europe. Both Medford and Central Point have smaller roundabouts. If accidents occur in a roundabout, they are generally not as severe as those in a typical intersection, Leaming said. Also, the speed limit on Highway 140 is 55, which could result in severe accidents if a traffic signal were installed at Foothill Road. ODOT and county officials said the intersection at nearby Kershaw Road and Highway 140 has a high accident rate. From 2004 to 2013, there were 33 crashes at Kershaw Road, including 24 with injuries, according to ODOT. A traffic signal at the new Foothill Road and Highway 140 intersection is projected to have 26 crashes over a 10-year period, including five fatal and/or injury crashes, according to an ODOT analysis. By comparison, a roundabout is projected to have five crashes over the same 10-year period, of which one could be a fatal or injury crash. Once the Foothill Road connection is made, Kershaw may be limited to right turns only to minimize the number of serious accidents at that intersection, Leaming said. If a roundabout is built, ODOT would install slight curves as traffic approaches the circle to slow vehicles on Highway 140, Leaming said. Traffic would move through the circles at about 30 mph, he said. In addition, warning signs and directional markers would be installed to help guide vehicles, Leaming said. Long-haul truckers initially were not keen about the idea of trying to negotiate a roundabout on a state highway, but Leaming says after some discussions they have agreed it's an acceptable option. “The trucking industry is now OK with it,” Leaming said. The Highway 140 roundabout would be designed to accommodate the biggest trucks allowed on the road, he said. To date, ODOT has one roundabout on a state road, in Astoria, but anticipates a half dozen will be in operation in the next two years, including two in Washington County. Even though the up-front costs are higher for a roundabout, the long-term costs might be less than for a regular intersection, Leaming said. County officials had planned to extend Foothill Road in 2018, but ODOT anticipates it might take until 2019 to secure funding for the roundabout. Vial said the county and ODOT are working together to determine whether the roundabout idea is feasible, and also to determine funding and timing issues. He said the county has the money available to build the Foothill Road extension about 3,000 feet from Corey Road to Highway 140. He said the budget for the project would come from a combination of county system development charges and federal matching dollars. Apart from the roundabout, it is not a particularly complicated project, Vial said. Engineers in other states have designed roundabouts to easily handle the requirements of the trucking industry, he added. Vial said the county and city are committed to a long-range plan to turn Foothill Road into a major north-south thoroughfare. The county and the city both have projects in the works to make that happen. “Let’s keep chipping away at it,” he said. —Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/reporterdm . By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Apr. 22, 2016 at 4:47 PM Updated Apr 22, 2016 at 6:53 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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