By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
East Wooster Street in Bowling Green may not be the only route in the area steering for roundabouts.
Wood County Engineer John Musteric has asked for a safety study to be conducted at the intersection of Napoleon Road and Campbell Hill Road – just on the east side of Bowling Green.
The Wood County Commissioners agreed to the study, which will be conducted by Poggemeyer Design Group.
According to Musteric, the Campbell Hill-Napoleon intersection was identified on a list compiled by the Ohio County Engineers Association as one of the worst intersections in the region for accidents.
Other Wood County intersections have made the list in the past, including Hull Prairie and Roachton, which now has a roundabout, and several on Oregon Road between Ohio 795 and the city of Northwood. A roundabout is currently being considered for the intersection of First Street and Oregon Road, Musteric said.
In the city of Bowling Green, roundabouts are planned at East Wooster’s intersections with Interstate 75, Dunbridge Road and Campbell Hill Road.
Now it appears there may be one more roundabout, just on the outer edge of the city. During the past three years, Musteric said the Campbell Hill-Napoleon crossing has been the site of about 45 accidents. Most have involved property damage and none have been fatal crashes, he said.
“There have been a lot of accidents there,” he said.
It doesn’t seem to be a matter of visibility, and the county has added signage. But that doesn’t seem to have helped.
“People are stopping at Campbell Hill and then they pull out thinking the Napoleon traffic will stop,” Musteric said.
So a traffic study will be conducted, in hopes of the county getting some funding for a possible roundabout.
A four-way stop could be placed at the intersection, but then there will be more rear-end collisions, he said.
“The state is more than willing to give money away for safety,” Musteric said. “These roundabouts reduce accidents by 76 percent.”
The traffic study will likely be completed by the end of this year.
“We definitely want it done while school is open,” he said.
The results will be used to help the county pay for improvements. “We can use that to apply for grant money,” Musteric said.
However, the county engineer said some type of agreement will likely be needed between the county and the city before the work is done.
“If the county puts $1 million in this, we don’t want that area annexed into the city without getting some of our money back,” he said.
