Pueblo set to build new roundabouts to improve traffic flow and safety
Roundabouts are becoming more common in cities around the United States as a tool for managing traffic and reducing fatalities.
There are currently only a few roundabouts in the Pueblo area, but more are expected to be built around the Steel City in the future.
Here’s what we know about why more roundabouts are coming to Pueblo, where they will be installed, and when the newest ones are expected to be constructed.
Why roundabouts?
Roundabouts can increase the flow of traffic at intersections, and also reduce the risk of serious and fatal accidents, said Andrew Hayes, the city’s director of public works.
Roundabouts function differently than conventional intersections with stop signs and/or lighted signals. Cars approaching intersections slow down, yielding to any traffic in the circle, and can make turns or continue straight.
The new roundabouts in the city are being built at intersections that have historically seen large numbers of accidents, some fatal.
Where are the new roundabouts planned in Pueblo?
Hayes said that the city is planning on starting construction on two roundabout projects this summer. Both are located close to Central High School: one is coming to the intersection of Jackson Street and Adams Avenue, while another is planned for the intersection of Berkley and Mesa avenues.
Most of the new roundabouts coming to Pueblo are being funded by a Colorado Department of Transportation grant program. The cost of reconfiguring the intersections can be expensive. For example, the roundabout at Jackson and Adams will cost $873,000, the funding for which city council approved last week.
Sometimes “construction can be the easy part” when considering all of the planning and design that needs to go into designing roundabouts, Hayes said. Some intersections are more complicated than others, too, which can mean a longer planning process.
A roundabout planned on the North Side at the intersection of Dillon Drive and Eagleridge Boulevard has been in the works since at least 2018.
The roundabouts near Central High School are the two at the top of the city's list, but several other roundabouts in Pueblo are in various stages of the planning process, including at Lake Avenue and West Orman Avenue, Lake Avenue and Jones Avenue, and Grand Avenue and 13th Street.
Anna Lynn Winfrey is a reporter at the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com. Please support local news at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: New roundabouts are coming to Pueblo. Here's why and where to find them
