Traffic planners turn to roundabouts in Kane County

By Cathy Janek For Chronicle Media
The intersections of Route 47 and Burlington Road in Kane County and Sullivan Road and Highland Avenue in Aurora are currently being rebuilt and reconfigured into modern roundabouts.

The intersections of Route 47 and Burlington Road in Kane County and Sullivan Road and Highland Avenue in Aurora are currently being rebuilt and reconfigured into modern roundabouts.

A new version of a very old thing is making a comeback on Illinois roads.

The intersections of Route 47 and Burlington Road in Kane County and Sullivan Road and Highland Avenue in Aurora are currently being rebuilt and reconfigured into modern roundabouts.

Coming in different shapes and sizes—some not may not even be circular—modern traffic roundabouts are considered to be safer, more economical to build and maintain, and move traffic more efficiently than their predecessors, according to local transportation experts.

Following a national trend in road management, today’s roundabouts are considerably different than their outdated predecessors found overseas and on the East Coast of the United States.

Roundabouts also have been making a comeback on roads in Wisconsin and in northern Lake County, according to Jennifer O’Connell, a Senior Project Manager with the Kane County Division of Transportation.

Still it may take some time for Illinois motorists to get used to a new kind of road intersection.

Last summer, a roundabout was completed at the Granart Road and Dugan Road intersection in Sugar Grove.

Unlike traditional traffic signals that can result in an eight second period where no vehicles are moving, modern roundabouts allow traffic to continue to move—even though at times motorists may be traveling at a low rate of speed.

Roundabouts also eliminate motorists from waiting at a red light while the alternating street has a green light with no vehicles traveling through, Eric Gallt a City of Aurora traffic engineer said.

Discussions related to the improvement of the Route 47 and Burlington intersection dates back to 2007, after finding the installation of a four way traffic light cost-prohibitive.

O’Connell said, the project designers suggested a roundabout as an alternative–saving about $1 million in construction costs.

Based on IDOT estimates, traffic will double from the current 8,000 vehicles per day to 16,000 per day by 2030.

The roundabout is expected to be an effective solution to the intersection’s heavy north/south traffic, O’Connell said.

Now about halfway through the project, the northbound half of the roundabout is completed and open for traffic, she said, while the southbound portion is under construction—motorists are using a temporary road.

Construction is expected to be completed in October as planned.

“We are waiting for final items such as lights and landscaping to arrive,” O’Connell said.

Construction also has begun on a single lane roundabout at the intersection of Sullivan Road and Highland Avenue—the first one for the City of Aurora.

Beginning on August 8th, the intersection will be closed while the single lane roundabout is installed, replacing stop signs that had been in place for more than ten years, Gallt said.

Costing approximately $525,000, the roundabout was chosen to improve traffic flow and reduce long delays.

The project also will include new curbs, gutters, concrete islands, storm sewer, and asphalt paving.

Gallt said construction of the roundabout was delayed while the Indian Trail Bridge was completed–so that both Sullivan Road and Indian Trail would not be closed at the same time.

During the construction, detour routes will be posted on surrounding streets including Route 31/Lake Street, Indian Trail Road, and Randall Road.

Gallt cautions that during peak travel times, motorists should still expect some build up in a roundabout; however, it would be less traffic than it would be at a traffic signal.

 

 

— Traffic planners turn to roundabouts to Kane County —