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The City of Carmel—already the self-proclaimed “Roundabout Capital of the United States”—on Monday released a list of 11 intersections where it plans to build additional roundabouts over the next two years.
Many of the projects have been previously announced but have been added to the construction schedule beginning this summer and continuing through 2021.
The city also said it plans to repave Keystone Parkway and extend Range Line Road from City Center Drive to Elm Street. The extension will include a new Walnut Street (or 6th Street) roundabout.
Planned roundabouts:
– Carmel Drive and Pennsylvania Street
– 96th Street and Haverstick Road
– 116th Street and Guilford Road
– 116th Street and College Avenue
– 111th Street and Westfield Boulevard
– 111th Street and Lexington Drive
– Illinois Street and Zotec Drive
– Walnut Street and Range Line Road
– 116th Street and Range Line Road
– Medical Drive and Range Line Road
– 111th Street and College Avenue
Carmel said three of the roundabouts are being funded by Clay Township. The remainder are being paid for from other sources, including the city’s engineering budget, federal highway sources and bonds previously issued by the city. The city said no new bonds have been issued for the projects.
More information will be provided about the start dates, closures and detours for each project in the future, the city said.
With at least 128 roundabouts, Carmel has more roundabouts than any other city in the United States. The city prefers roundabouts over traffic lights because studies show they decrease serious accidents.
Carmel’s five-year average fatality accident rate in 2019 was just 2.136 per 100,000, the city said, compared to 11.585 in Indianapolis, 16.756 in Anderson, 11.358 in Ft. Wayne, 20.379 in Kokomo and 30.058 in Columbus.
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Cost?
Source of funding?
It doesn’t matter as Brainard does what he pleases and the people of Carmel just keep voting for him.
Installing roundabouts are financially responsible and safe means of transportation at our intersections. We should all be proud of them as they add value to the community, bring in new businesses and retain or grow the community in which we live in.
Love it. Wish more cities had Brainard’s vision of a livable city.
Lol
I like roundabouts, but only if they have sufficient diameter. Too many of Carmel’s older roundabouts are too small for good traffic flow.
Lots of east side roundabout love, which is great. We had our share on the west side for years but I think there are still unfinished road projects. Mostly east-west thoroughfares where some sections have been widened with medians and drainage and multi-use paths but others have not. How about 116th from Springmill Road west? 136th from Ditch to Towne? Sections of 141st Street between Springmill and Eagle Creek Ave. Why Hoover Rd, Clay Center, Ditch and Six Points from a north-south perspective haven’t gotten “the treatment” need to be evaluated as well.
Roundabout capacity should be assessed a priori. A key objective is to keep traffic moving safely. In this case, safety infers slowing traffic with tighter diameters. The roundabouts work efficiently given the traffic volumes and roadway cross sections characteristics for much of Carmel. The roadway network of secondary arterials and collectors works well for inter community movements.