Is Scottsdale 'Roundabout City'?

Apr. 28—According to the old saying, it's not advisable to try to wedge a square peg in a round hole.

Yet, city officials love hammering a square intersection into a circular one.

At its April 16 meeting, Scottsdale City Council quietly approved an Airpark area road construction project that is notable for two reasons:

—The accepted — and only — construction bid came in nearly triple the original city estimate;

—It includes a roundabout.

Technically, the $4.3 million funding for "Phase 2B" of the Raintree Drive construction project will not build the roundabout, but the new intersection is a critical part of the overall plan.

Indeed, the Raintree Drive makeover — no worries, "road diet" critics, this one adds a driving lane — is part of an effort to create "a high-speed capacity connection through the Airpark to the (Loop) 101."

If you're seeing new circles everywhere you go, it's not your imagination: Roundabouts have already replaced nearby intersections at 76th Place and Redfield Road and at Hayden and Raintree roads.

Indeed, it may not be an exaggeration to call Scottsdale "Roundabout City."

According to city policy:

"Roundabouts shall be the first consideration for all intersections of one or two-lanes per-direction streets that require all-way stop control. Traffic signals should only be installed or remain if a traffic or budget analysis justifies their advantage."

Drivers approaching roundabout intersections see yield signs — meaning they should give right-of-way to someone already in the circle, but can continue if the way is clear.

That process, however, is hardly straightforward to roundabout newcomers.

Reader comments to this newspaper's social media posts on roundabout plans show a collision of views.

"They are the best!" enthused R. Brian Shuman. Just make sure you use turn signals, he added.

More helpful advice, from Jay Jennings:

"If you're nervous about using roundabouts, find one during non-peak hours and use it continuously (go through, turn around, go through, etc.) until you're bored and it doesn't phase you anymore."

Brett Russo, on the other hand, has two words to say about more roundabouts:

"God, no."

Debi Yetman echoed that:

"How about NO."

The roundabout coming to North Scottsdale Road and Dynamite Boulevard?

"This will be one of the worst decisions Scottsdale has ever made," Melissa McCormick Wise predicted.

Tom Grenz's strategy: runaround the roundabouts.

"I avoid Hayden and Raintree because of the roundabout," he commented. "I've had some close calls there. People definitely don't know how to use them properly."

Stephanie Hulsey doubled down on that:

"I really don't like roundabouts as most people don't understand how to drive around them."

Safety first

While some say these things spin them in circles and drive them to distraction, Scottsdale officials insist circular roundabouts are far safer than four-way intersections.

Last April, a roundabout at Miller and Osborn roads was unveiled — after years of construction and a budget that ballooned (largely due to utility problems) from $1.6 million to $8 million.

"We have beat this to death," said Councilwoman Betty Janik, before reluctantly approving the money to finish the roundabout.

"This was not a good look for the city. It is over budget, it took too long. There were surprises when we looked underground."

Councilwoman Solange Whitehead seconded Janik's rearview-mirror summary.

"This was a case of if it ain't broke, don't fix it," Whitehead said.

Those who like to play "gotcha!" with the city pointed to a serious wreck shortly after the long-awaited roundabout opened.

"The intersection of Miller Rd and Osborn Rd is CLOSED in all 4 directions for a single-vehicle collision investigation with life-threatening injuries to the sole occupant/driver of the vehicle," the Scottsdale Police Department posted at 2:43 a.m. May 14, 2023.

"Please find alternate routes."

But it sounds like blaming the roundabout for this wreck would be like blaming air for a plane crash.

"Speed and alcohol consumption by the driver were factors in the single-vehicle collision," Officer Aaron Bolin, a Scottsdale Police Department spokesman said of the wreck on the new roundabout.

The driver survived injuries "and the case was referred to the Scottsdale city prosecutor," Bolin added.

A speeding, impaired driver can generally cause much more damage at a four-way intersection, city transportation/infrastructure honchos will tell you.

Dan Worth, the city's longtime Public Works director, confirmed circular intersections are Scottsdale's go-to plan of action.

Worth said the council-approved 2016 Transportation Master Plan and 2022 Transportation Action Plan "made roundabouts the preferred means of traffic control at intersections."

"This does not mean we automatically use a roundabout when we make improvements to an intersection," he added, "but it does mean there has to be compelling reasons to use a traffic signal instead of a roundabout."

Contrary to some rumors, federal, state and county funding does not tip the scale in favor of roundabouts, according to Worth: "We usually haven't even done the analysis and made the decision at the time we get funding approved."

If Worth would describe why he hearts circle intersections in three words, it would be: safety, safety and safety.

"Regarding the reason for favoring roundabouts, the primary reason is they are safer than traffic signals," he said.

"Accidents happen at roundabouts, but they are predominantly merging accidents that do not result in serious injuries; accidents at signalized intersections are often high-speed side-impact accidents that do far more damage and more often do result in serious injury."

And those who grit their teeth while waiting for red lights to change at empty intersections might appreciate the efficiency of roundabouts.

Circle intersections, Worth holds, "have also proven to be more efficient, reducing motorist delay at intersections."

Comments from Mark Melnychenko, Scottsdale's Transportation and Streets director, merged with Worth's words.

Melnychenko said roundabouts are usually far superior to traffic signals, multi-way stops and side-street stops.

"Studies have shown roundabouts to be significantly safer than traffic signals in reducing collision severity, injuries and fatalities when compared to traditional control," Melnychenko said.

And there's a climate benefit, he added: "Roundabouts can also reduce delays, fuel use, emissions and maintenance costs."

'Roundabout' funding

Though it does not directly involve a circular intersection to which it leads, the second phase of Raintree Drive construction seems pretty ... well, roundabout.

City Engineer Alison Tymkiw explained the process a few days after Council unanimously approved funding of $4.3 million — which, according to a somewhat vague report given to council, "exceeded the engineer's estimate."

Phase 2B, Tymkiw detailed, is for completion of "the four-lane major collector between Thunderbird and 73rd Street to Redfield and 76th Place.

"This segment is currently two lanes westbound and one lane eastbound, the project will add a second eastbound lane."

And, she noted: "This segment does not include a roundabout. The roundabout at Northsight and Raintree (Phase 2A) will be a future, separate project."

The design engineer's original Phase 2B estimate, Tymkiw said, was $1.65 million.

The bid was $4,333,840 for Phase 2B. The estimate prepared by the design engineer was $1,654,731.

"The engineer's estimate was too low for the project due to inflation and price escalation of bid items," she said.

The construction manager at risk (CMAR) contractor that did the work so far on the Raintree Drive corridor gave the city a guaranteed maximum price of just under $6.1 million.

Too high, the city decided.

After negotiations brought that price tag down, but only slightly, to $5.5 million, the city put the project out to bid.

The one and only bid was from Granite Construction for $4.3 million — nearly three times the engineer's estimate, but "substantially lower" than the $5.5 million from the CMAR contractor.

Granite Construction said it can do the whole job — including the roundabout — for $13.1 million.

Again, that would be nearly triple the city's original estimate, which was less than $5 million. The rest of the project will come back to the council at a date to be determined. Information:scottsdaleaz.gov/transportation/streets/roundabouts.