Recently Completed: Route 834 and Route 670 Safety Improvements - Franklin County

The primary purpose of this project was to improve safety and reduce the frequency and severity of crashes at the intersection of Route 834 and Route 670 by installing a roundabout, realigning the intersection to create better sight distance and providing better access management to nearby businesses.

The four-way stop installed in 2016 was implemented as an interim safety measure since it could be installed quickly and with low cost. Four-way stops rely on driver compliance and require all vehicles to come to a complete stop. Between May 2013 and April 2019, 23 crashes occurred at the intersection.  Of those crashes, 11 were angle crashes, which tend to be the most severe. Approximately 4,900 vehicles use the intersection each day.

The new roundabout is a physical measure that should reduce the risk of angle collisions, minimize the risk of vehicles failing to stop, and help improve operations as vehicles proceed more efficiently through the intersection. The new low-speed roundabout has a 130-foot inscribed diameter, a 15-foot wide concrete apron, and18-foot wide circulatory travel lanes.  The roadway approaches to the roundabout have 12-foot lane widths and four-foot shoulders. Access management improvements consist of better defined entrances and access for the business located at the southwest corner of the intersection.

The new roundabout is now open to traffic. 

Benefits 

This project will improve safety and reduce the frequency and severity of crashes at the intersection.