Lake Elmo is joining the growing list of Twin Cities suburbs that are coming around to roundabouts.
Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-July on the circular junction where Hwy. 5 (Stillwater Boulevard N.) and County Hwy. 6 (Jamaca Avenue N.) meet, with the project expected to be complete by October.
The Washington County Board, in a 5-0 vote this week, signed off on the project, and the city is expected to follow suit.
Bids for the project, estimated to cost $1.6 million and overseen by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, will be opened on Friday. Nearly all costs will be funded by federal ($900,000) and MnDOT ($692,000) money that already has been earmarked for the project. That will leave the county's share at $24,000 and the city's portion at $15,500.
Improving safety is the primary driver of the project, said Wayne Sandberg, Washington County's deputy director of public works.
"We're concerned with crashes -- we have many crashes there," he said. "It's also difficult to make a left turn."
"I drive this intersection every day, and it is a dangerous intersection," added County Board Chairman Bill Pulkrabek. "... So I'm glad we're doing it."
Roundabouts have been proven to reduce both the number and severity of traffic accidents at intersections, said MnDOT spokeswoman Mary McFarland Brooks. There are 39 percent fewer crashes at roundabouts compared to four-way intersections, and 89 percent fewer fatalities because of slower speeds and reduced crash impacts, she said. They are also less expensive to maintain than intersections with signals.
