Wooster Gets Roundabout
At the intersection of Smithville Western and state Route 83 stands an unfamiliar feature for Wayne County: a roundabout.
The roundabout’s construction results from safety concerns about the intersection, especially the severity of crashes, Roger Kobilarcsik, the Wooster city engineer, said.
According to an Ohio Dept. of Transportation public meeting handout from Sept. 17, 2013, a total of 18 crashes occurred in a three year study period.
According to Kobilarcsik, the goal of the roundabout is, “the reduction of the severity of crashes.”
Roundabouts, in general, are proven to accomplish just that. In the City of Wooster’s project presentation from the public meeting on Sept. 17, 2013, the statistics reported on roundabouts included an 89 percent reduction in fatalities from a normal intersection.
The City of Wooster worked closely with ODOT on the project.
Kobilarcsik said, “The ODOT has a fund for safety projects, and because of the severity of crashes at that intersection, we applied for funds from the state.”
Instead of the former four-way stop, the new roundabout is now open on Wooster’s outskirts.
