Roundabout in plans

• Roundabout planned

A walk-on rug was displayed at Tuesday’s MnDOT open house to give people a better understanding of how a roundabout works.

Talk about it

WORTHINGTON — Safety and mobility are two of the top reasons the Minnesota Department of Transportation likes roundabouts, and that is why they are now proposing another one to be constructed in Worthington’s city limits during the three-phase expansion of U.S. 59/Minnesota 60.

During an open house in Worthington on Tuesday, MnDOT maps spanning several tables depicted in full color the proposed four-lane highway from the Bigelow bypass to Interstate 90 in Worthington.

The biggest change to the map since the MnDOT open house in Worthington last spring is the creation of a roundabout at the intersection of U.S. 59/Minnesota 60 and Nobles County State Aid Highway 35, on the southeast corner of Worthington.

Peter Harff, MnDOT project manager, said engineers have opted for the roundabout due to the four legs at that intersection. While there will be a small volume of traffic coming off the frontage road, he said the roundabout will provide the best option to keep traffic moving on CSAH 35 and highways 59/60.

“A roundabout gives us fine performance — only slightly a little more delay,” said Harff. Roundabouts are also planned at the intersection of 59/60 and Oxford Street and Minnesota 60 and the east-bound exit ramp at Interstate 90.

According to information presented at Tuesday’s open house, roundabouts can dramatically improve safety. In a study of 23 traditional four-way intersections converted to roundabouts, results showed a 39 percent reduction in all crashes, with a 76 percent drop in injury crashes and an 89 percent decline in fatal crashes.

“They are a safer option than signals, and for that we like them a lot,” said Harff. “They’re particularly good where there are multiple legs at an intersection.”

While concerns have been voiced in the past regarding the ability for large tractor-trailers to maneuver the roundabout, Harff said the two-lane roundabout will provide ample room for vehicles that are regulation length or slightly longer.

However, with a large-scale wind farm proposed in northern Nobles County, Harff is aware of the potential increase of longer loads traversing highways through the community.

“It wouldn’t be right to abandon the roundabout (for a small percentage of trucks hauling wind turbine blades),” said Harff, adding that MnDOT continues to look into options for those vehicles. It will likely include outlining an alternative route for those trucks, he said.

A stoplight is still planned at the intersection of Minnesota 60 and Armour Road, said Harff, adding that the signal lights can be timed to give Armour Road more green time during shift changes at JBS Swift & Co., while keeping longer amounts of green time on Minnesota 60 for long stretches for a large part of the day and night.

Property purchases continue along the route for the four-lane expansion, with three of the nearly 50 relocations already completed, said Harff. Most of the relocations will be within Worthington’s city limits.

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