CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) -- Cedar Rapids says safety is the reason why the city is going to build two roundabouts on Johnson Avenue.
One will go at Johnson and Wiley Boulevard northwest. That's in front of Hoover Elementary. The other will be at Johnson Avenue and Jacolyn Drive northwest
Traffic Engineering Program Manager John Witt says there have been 70 crashes at the Johnson and Wiley intersection over the past decade. While Johnson and Jacolyn has had more than 50.
He says most of those crashes could have been avoided if roundabouts had been there. He says, "We have a lot of broadside crashes meaning people pulling off to the side streets and getting t-boned on the mainline. And then also a lot of left turn crashes. At roundabouts, those types of crashes are eliminated due to the circular flow of traffic.”
The project will cost more than 8 million dollars. The city hopes to start construction in the spring.