Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
ROUNDABOUT
ROUNDABOUT. A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic flows almost continuously in one direction around a central island. So-called "modern" roundabouts require entering traffic to give way to traffic already in the circle and optimally observe various design rules to increase safety. (1)
In August 2014 Dubuque came closer to having its first roundabout when the city council voted 7-0 to approve an application for a $500,000 Traffic Safety Improvement Grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation. If granted, the funds would be used to change the five-way intersection of North Grandview Avenue, Delhi and Grace STREETS. (2)
In March 2015 it was announced that the $500,000 request had been approved and that work would probably begin in 2016. To install the roundabout and not acquire any of the adjacent private properties a single-lane roundabout would used. An estimated 19,000 vehicles travel daily through the intersection. (3)
The city announced that it would start the process to select a design consultant. This came after the city council in May voted to approve a funding agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation that included a $500,000 traffic safety grant for the project. The city would bear the remaining $200,000 of the project which was planned for construction during the summer of 2016. (4) In addition to the North Grandview-Delhi roundabout, others were planned for intersections on University Avenue--at Loras Blvd., Asbury Road, and at Pennsylvania Avenue. (5)
On July 3, 2016 just after work on the roundabout on North Grandview had begun, city officials were said to be considering an agreement for more road construction. A proposal with the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration would use $682,644 in federal transportation money and $170,661 in city funding toward the purchase of land at University Avenue and Asbury Road. (6)
Construction of the roundabout at the N. Grandview Ave., Delhi St., and Grace St. intersection was officially completed by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 19, 2016. Although the roundabout had been functional for several days, contractors were finalizing the permanent pavement markings and installing permanent signage on August 18-19. Landscaping of the roundabout’s center island was completed on Tuesday, August 16th. Motorists were reminded to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalks and to traffic in the roundabout. Pedestrians were to cross at crosswalks only and never walk across the circulating lane to the center island. (7)
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Source:
1. "Roundabout." Wikipedia. Online: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundabout
2. "August," Chronology 2014, Telegraph Herald, January 1, 2015, p. 13
3. Jacobson, Ben. "Improving City Traffic in a Roundabout Way," Telegraph Herald, March 14, 2015, p. 1
4. Yager, Alicia. "Roundabout Plan Drives Toward New Phase," Telegraph Herald, May 23, 2015. p. 1
5. Ibid., p. 2
6. Barton, Thomas J. "Panel Eyes Land for Future Roundabout," Telegraph Herald, July 3, 2016, p. 17A