DOT official says there will be a learning curve for some drivers
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
It will be about another month before Highway 142 and the roundabout intersection at McCanna Parkway in Burlington are fully open to traffic, according to an official with the state Department of Transportation.
The project was initially slated for completion for the opening of the school year this week, but a late start and delays caused by flooding in July set things back.
“The project completion date is looking to land towards early to mid-October,” said Dan Sellers, a communications specialist with the DOT. “This is when the roadway will be open to normal traffic conditions. As of now, it remains open to local traffic.”
Last week crews paved the section of McCanna Parkway that intersects with the new roundabout to accommodate traffic at the Burlington High School-Gateway Technical College campus. Classes began Tuesday at BHS.
Once complete, the roundabout will provide a second entrance and exit point for the educational campus.
Sellers said the DOT and its contractors are doing their best to get the project completed.
“Crews continue to look at ways to expedite the schedule as much as possible to make up for the flooding delays,” he said. “Coordination is being had with Gateway Tech, Burlington High School, and the bus companies to minimize impacts to routes and access.”
In addition to the roundabout construction, the project includes resurfacing a four-mile stretch of Highway 142 (Bushnell Road) from Edgewood Street on the west to Highway J on the east. The relatively new interchange with the Highway 11/36/83 bypass is excluded from the resurfacing project.
The resurfacing includes improvements to the intersections at Brever Road, Wheatland Road, Womack Lane, Shagbark Lane, Horseshoe Trail and Highway J, according to the DOT.
City of Burlington Administrator Carina Walters said Tuesday that she was scheduled to tour the roundabout and sections of the highway that are in the city. In 2009, city officials agreed to assume responsibility for patrol and maintenance of the intersection if the state agreed to remove the overpass and create the intersection at McCanna Parkway.
Originally, the removal of the overpass and creation of the roundabout at McCanna Parkway was championed by former Burlington Town Board Chairman Kurt Petrie.
Learning curve
Because this will be the first roundabout intersection in the Burlington area, Sellers acknowledged there will be a learning curve for some drivers who are not familiar with this type of junction.
While roundabouts still make up less that 1 percent of the state’s intersections, the DOT has been an advocate of the rotary intersections because they have been proven to reduce serious crashes and long-term costs.
According to the agency, roundabouts are:
- Proven to reduce the number of severe injury crashes and deaths;
- Provide a good economic value;
- Reduce delay and improve traffic flow;
- Are a greener alternative with less vehicle idling, lower fuel emissions and less wasted fuel.
The DOT offers the following tips for drivers navigating through a roundabout:
- Slow down;
- Watch for and obey traffic signs;
- Move into the correct lane the direction you want to travel as you approach the roundabout;
- Yield to pedestrians and bicyclists as you enter and exit the roundabout;
- Yield to all lanes of traffic on your left before entering;
- Keep your speed low and stay in your lane within the roundabout;
- Exit carefully to your destination. Use your right-turn signal, in front of the splitter island just prior to your exit, to indicate your intention to exit.
In addition to traffic along Highway 142 and from McCanna Parkway, drivers will have to contend with a crosswalk that will accommodate walkers and bicyclists using the White River Trail.
For more information on roundabouts, visit wisconsindot.gov and enter “roundabouts” into the search bar.
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