The roundabout is a critical safety improvement for people walking, driving and rolling, marking a key milestone for the I-205 Abernethy Bridge Project, ODOT’s largest construction project in 45 years. (ODOT photo)

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) completed a new traffic roundabout in West Linn that connects OR 43 and northbound I-205.

The roundabout is a critical safety improvement for people walking, driving and rolling, marking a key milestone for the I-205 Abernethy Bridge Project, ODOT's largest construction project in 45 years.

Upon completion, the Abernethy Bridge will be the first earthquake ready highway bridge over the Willamette River in the Portland area. Users will benefit from a wider bridge, as well as safer and more efficient on- and off-ramps near the bridge. Improvements also are planned for bike and pedestrian routes. The full project is expected to be completed in 2025.

After construction, ODOT plans to collect tolls at the Abernethy Bridge to cover roughly half the project's cost. Transportation funds collected statewide will pay the remainder. The new roundabout in West Linn is a critical step for this project.

"People living in West Linn and Clackamas County are going to see immediate value in the new roundabout and the other major infrastructure investments in their communities," said Mandy Putney, director of strategic initiatives of ODOT's urban mobility office. "This roundabout will improve capacity, traffic flow and safety for motorists who live in and travel through this part of the metro area, particularly during morning and evening rush hours. People walking, biking and rolling through the area will now have a safer route through the area with shorter crossings and lower vehicle speeds."

Roundabouts are safer than intersections that rely on stop signs and traffic signals because they have fewer vehicle and pedestrian conflict points. A traditional intersection has 32 possible points of collision, many of which are dangerous and high-speed. That's compared to roundabouts that have only eight possible points of collision. Roundabouts also reduce crash severity and injuries in all crashes due to lower vehicle speeds.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, roundabouts are safer than traditional intersections, and have demonstrated they can result in a:

• 90 percent reduction in fatalities;
• 76 percent reduction in injuries;
• 35 percent reduction in crashes.

In addition, the analysis shows the roundabout may result in a 48 percent decrease in overall collisions.

Other benefits include reduced pollution, lower traffic noise and fuel use through fewer stops and hard accelerations, as well as significant life-cycle cost savings due to no signal equipment installation, power or maintenance costs.

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