By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
A new roundabout on the east side of Bowling Green is intended to reduce the number of crashes at Campbell Hill and Napoleon roads.
Five years ago, Wood County Engineer John Musteric asked for a safety study to be conducted at the intersection, which had been identified by the Ohio County Engineers Association as one of the worst intersections in the region for accidents.
“It was warranted,” Musteric said earlier this week. “There have been a lot of accidents there.”
In a three-year period, 45 crashes were reported at the intersection. Visibility did not appear to be an issue.
“People were stopping at Campbell Hill. They would pull out, thinking it was a four-way stop and the traffic at Napoleon Road wouldn’t stop,” he said.
The county installed signs stating “cross traffic does not stop,” but it didn’t solve the problem, Musteric said.
“A lot of people were getting T-boned. It was a safety issue.”
Roundabouts are credited with reducing intersection crashes by between 78% and 82%, according to the county engineer. If accidents do occur at roundabouts they are “glancing hits” rather than serious crashes, he said.
The new roundabout was completed in November, and so far – so good.
“We haven’t heard any complaints,” Musteric said.
Because of the crash frequency at the intersection prior to the roundabout, the state paid close to 90% of the total construction cost of $1,558,551 for the roundabout. The county engineer’s office picked up the rest of the bill since the intersection involves county roads.
The Wood County Engineer’s Office has worked to install other roundabouts at Roachton and Hull Prairie roads, Buck and Lime City roads, and at Roachton Road and Ohio 199.
“We do not have any plans at this time for any other roundabouts,” Musteric said.
In the city of Bowling Green, roundabouts exist at both intersections of Interstate 75 ramps and East Wooster Street. Others are being planned for East Wooster at Dunbridge Road, East Wooster at Campbell Hill Road, at the entrance to Woodbridge Business Park on Dunbridge Road, and at Brim and Bishop roads.
