ODOT: Van Wert roundabout is working

VW independent staff/submitted information

LIMA — The results are in: one year after opening the roundabout at the intersection of U.S. 127, U.S. 224, and Marsh Road on the outskirts of Van Wert, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) District 1 is reporting a dramatic decrease in crashes at the intersection.

Between January, 2019, and May, 2022, there were 13 crashes, including three injury crashes, and 10 that resulted in property damage only. However, since opening in August of last year, there have not been any crashes reported at the roundabout intersection.

“We are pleased with the results,” said ODOT District 1 Deputy Director Chris Hughes. “The outcome at this location shows roundabouts are a great option to improve safety at busy rural intersections,” he said.

“I drive it daily and have never seen any issues — everything flows smooth,” said Cooper Farm’s Corporate Communications Representative Reghan Waltmire. “There are no issues for our drivers.”

Cooper Farms is located just north of the intersection.

“Failure to yield crashes at these types of intersections often result in injuries to motorists,” said Lieutenant Joseph R. Sisco, Commander of the Van Wert Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The roundabout was funded through Ohio’s Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). Under Governor Mike DeWine, the fund became one of the largest traffic safety programs in the country through an increase in the motor-user fee.

HSIP funds are available to both ODOT and local governments to make improvements that reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries on all public roads. The program recently funded additional signing on U.S. 30 to reduce wrong-way driving. HSIP funding has been awarded to construct another roundabout at the U.S. 224 and Lincoln Highway intersection in Van Wert County. Construction is anticipated in 2027.

According to ODOT, roundabouts dramatically reduce the severity of crashes by causing all traffic to slow down and travel in the same direction. Nationwide, Federal Highway Administration statistics show that converting a two-way, stop-controlled intersection to a single-lane roundabout can result in a 40 percent reduction in total crashes, a 75 percent reduction in injury crashes, and a 90 percent reduction in fatal crashes.