Construction of Upper Macungie Roundabout to be completed in December

Residents may not likebut the numbers don’t lie, according to PennDOT: Roundabouts are making the roads safer for Pennsylvania drivers.

As PennDOT continues work on roundabouts in Upper Macungie Township, the agency said in a news release Monday that replacement of dozens of intersections with roundabouts statewide has reduced the number of road fatalities, injuries, and fatalities. , said the number of crashes had decreased.

based on 2002-2021 crash report data and 36 roundabouts Counties that include Allegheny, Burks and Bucks saw a 76% decrease in suspected serious injuries, a 22% decrease in suspected minor injuries, and a 9% decrease in total crashes.

“We continue to confirm that the Pennsylvania roundabout saves lives and reduces the severity of conflicts,” said PennDOT Administrator Yasmin Gramian. “It’s not the right option for every intersection, but we’re happy to help make the roads safer.”

PennDOT has 16 roundabouts under construction and 15 in final design.

For traffic efficiency, one advantage roundabouts have over regular intersections is that drivers have to give way to each other instead of traffic lights, says PennDOT spokesperson Sean Brown. says Mr. This prevents residents from stopping and waiting multiple cycles at intersections.

Roundabouts and intersections also offer different levels of safety, he added. Drivers naturally have to slow down to enter the roundabout and use a circular roundabout, thus reducing the risk of accidents compared to passing through traditional intersections that can lead to high speed collisions. less.

“Our overall aim at these times is to reduce conflicts that are highly harmful to people and property,” Brown said.

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For that Intersection of Route 222, Route 863 and Shantz Road in Upper Macungie Township, work on the roundabout began in autumn 2020. According to Brown, work on Roundabout is expected to finish in December or shortly thereafter.

“This is a high-traffic area,” says Brown. “Our designers considered what to do outside and felt that a roundabout would be advantageous for traffic, congestion relief and safety.”

JD Eckman’s contractors are building a $14 million roundabout funded by PennDOT, he said.

Found data from PennDOT for 2019 Intersection of Schantz Road, State Highway 222 and State Highway 863 (also known as Independent Road) 72 total crashes in the last 5 yearshas become the most dangerous area for drivers in town.

Kalman Sostarecz Jr., assistant township manager for Upper Mackenzie, declined to comment as Roundabout is a PennDOT project.

Township Supervisory Board Approved the project in 2019Board Secretary Kathy Rader expressed support for the Roundabout at the time.

https://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-nws-upper-macungie-roundabout-20220922-27tfbtjsb5honktb3wd4ecgtrq-story.html#ed=rss_www.mcall.com/arcio/rss/category/news/local/ Construction of Upper Macungie Roundabout to be completed in December

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