By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
After mastering the single lane roundabouts at the Interstate 75 interchanges in Bowling Green, motorists are now being asked to navigate the first multi-lane roundabout in the city.
All lanes of the roundabout at East Wooster Street and Campbell Hill Road are now open to traffic, according to Bowling Green Public Services Director Joe Fawcett.
Officials understand there may be a learning curve with the multi-lane roundabout.
“The city certainly expects there will be some level of learning for residents and the traveling public,” Fawcett said Wednesday afternoon.
The multi-lane roundabout is designed to handle heavier traffic volumes and allow more vehicles to pass through the intersection at the same time. The goal is to keep traffic moving with fewer delays.
Area motorists may have some experience with a multi-lane roundabout, with a similar structure already in place on Ohio 65 at the Waterville bridge over the Maumee River.
“So it’s not totally foreign to people,” he said.
Also different for motorists in Bowling Green is the median island that now runs between the east and west bound lanes on East Wooster Street, between Campbell Hill Road and the roundabouts at I-75.
Crews are still working on installing pavers in the median, Fawcett said. During this work, the contractor will close the inside lanes of the roundabout. That work is intended to be completed before the BGSU student move-in next week starting on Tuesday, Aug. 15.
“That was one of the safety features of the whole design,” Fawcett said about the median island. Several crashes have been recorded from westbound traffic turning left into businesses, and from drivers leaving businesses and turning left onto Wooster Street.
The median and roundabouts will require motorists to circle around in some cases, but there should be less serious injury T-bone crashes.
The project should be completed sometime in September, after the upgraded street lighting is installed and trees are planted in the median island.
As crews put the finishing touches on the new multi-lane roundabout, the city shared this “How to Navigate a Multilane Roundabout” video created by North Carolina DOT: https://buff.ly/3s8czjn
The video explains that motorists should follow the signs and roadway markings as they approach the roundabout.
Typically, the outer lane of the roundabout is for traffic planning to use the first or second exit. The inner lane is for drivers wanting to use the second or third exits, or make a complete U-turn.
Drivers should not switch lanes once in the roundabout, and motorists must yield to vehicles already in the roundabout.
