Work could begin this fall on the building of a roundabout in a mostly rural section of Greeley on the northwest side of the city.
The new road configuration will be built at the intersection of O Street and North 35th Avenue and will be taken on jointly by the City of Greeley and Weld County.
Last month members of the county’s board of commissioners gave their final approval to an intergovernmental agreement to build the roundabout.
According to county documents, Greely is providing $1.6 million to get the roundabout built, with Weld County putting up $750,000.
Weld County officials say that the intersection has been seeing just over 11,300 vehicles on a daily basis, increasing the likelihood of accidents for a corner not designed for that volume of traffic.
As planned, the roundabout will be designed to have a wider diameter than the current streets at the intersection in order to accommodate trucks. The project will additionally include the construction of new street lighting.
To enhance the life of the project, the roundabout will have a cement surface.
The project is one of a handful of new roundabouts that have been built in Greeley in recent years to facilitate traffic.
According to industry statistics, roundabouts, allowing for a continuous flow of traffic, are generally responsible for a 37% decline in all collisions, along with a significant 90% reduction in fatality collisions.
By Garry Boulard
