HARRISBURG, Pa. — The number of fatalities, injuries, and crashes dropped at 33 locations where roundabouts were installed, according to recent data released by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
“We continue to see that Pennsylvania’s roundabouts save lives and reduce crash severity,” PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said in a press release Monday. “While they aren’t the right option in every intersection, we’re pleased that they help to make our roadways safer.”
PennDOT recently reviewed data for 36 roundabouts on state routes at intersections that were previously stop or signal controlled.
The locations were selected based on having at least three years of crash data available before and after the roundabouts were built. This accounts for a total of 387 before years and 220 after years of data, according to PennDOT.
Department data from 2002 through 2021 – based on police-submitted crash reports and weighted based on the number of before and after years, but not for increases in traffic volume – shows the following, according to PennDOT:
- Suspected serious injuries were reduced by 76%;
- Suspected minor injuries were reduced by 22%;
- Possible/unknown severity injuries were reduced by 70%
- Total number of crashes decreased by 9%.
Unfortunately, there was one fatality in one of the roundabouts, PennDOT said. But there were a combined three fatalities prior to the installation of roundabouts at the 33 locations, the agency added.
In addition to the 36 roundabouts meeting the selection criteria, 38 other roundabouts have been built on state routes with 16 more under construction and 15 in final design.
The roundabouts included in the review are at the following intersections:
Allegheny County
- Route 3070 (Ewing Road) and Business Route 376 Ramp, opened in 2011
Beaver County
- Route 68 (Adams Street), Route 1034 (Brighton Avenue) and Route 6018 (Brighton Ave./Rhode Island Ave.), opened in 2011.
Berks County
- Route 222 and Route 662, opened in 2018.
Bucks County
- Route 2043 (Trevose Road) and Somerton Road, opened in 2012; and
- Route 213 (Bridgetown Pike/Maple Avenue) and Route 2010 (Bridgetown Pike), opened in 2016.
Butler County
- Route 3024 (Glen Eden Road), Powell Road and Freshcorn Road, opened in 2015; and
- Route 228 and SR 2005 (Saxonburg Blvd.), opened in 2018.
Chester County
- Route 82 (Doe Run Road) and Unionville Road, opened in 2005;
- Route 52 (Lenape Road), S. Wawaset Road and Lenape Unionville Road, opened in 2014; and
- Route 3062 (Strasburg Road), Romansville Road and Shadyside Road, Opened in 2017.
Crawford County
- Route 6/19 (Main Street) and Route 198 (South Street), opened in 2017; and
- Route 6/19 (Main Street) and Route 198 (Brookhouse Street), opened in 2017.
Cumberland County
- Route 34 (Spring Road), Route 1007 (Sunnyside Drive) and Mountain Road, opened in 2014; and
- Route 2004 (W. Lisburn Road) and Grantham Road, opened in 2018.
Dauphin County
- Route 39 (Linglestown Road) and Route 3019 (Mountain Road), opened in 2011;
- Route 322 (Governor Road) and Homestead Lane, opened in 2016; and
- Route 322 (Governor Road) and Meadow Lane, opened in 2016.
Delaware County
- Route 1023 (N. Newtown Street) and Route 1046 (St. Davids Road), opened in 2008; and
- Route 320 (Chester Road), Rutgers Avenue and Fieldhouse Lane, opened in 2014.
Erie County
- Route 19 (High Street) and Route 97, opened in 2014; and
- Route 5 and Route 4016 (Millfair Road), opened in 2018.
Luzerne County
- I-81 Exit 178, Airport Road interchange (three roundabouts), opened in 2015;
- Route 2008 (Middle Road) and Espy Street, opened in 2017;
- Route 415, Church Street, Lake Street and Main Street, opened in 2018; and
- Route 2008 (Middle Road) and Kosciuszko Street, opened in 2018.
Mercer County
- Route 718 (Dock Street) and Connelly Boulevard, opened in 2018.
Monroe County
- I-80 Exit 310 and Route 2028 (Broad Street), opened in 2018.
Montgomery County
- Route 29 (Gravel Pike) and Route 73 (Big Road), opened in 2009.
Philadelphia County
- Route 4013 (Park Drive) and Route 4015 (Walnut Lane), opened in 2018.
Washington County
- Route 519 (two connected roundabouts) - Route 519 and Brownlee Road, and Route 519 and Thompson Eighty Four Road, opened in 2015; and
- I-70 Exit 32 and Route 2040 (Wilson Road), opened in 2018.
York County
- Route 116 (Main Street) and Hanover St. and Roths Church Road, opened in 2007; and
- Route 74 (Delta Road) and Bryansville Road, opened in 2008
Roundabouts are frequently installed to address intersections with safety issues but may also be installed to improve traffic flow as well as other reasons such as traffic calming, and to facilitate pedestrian mobility, PennDOT said.
Although roundabouts are safer and typically more efficient than traditional signalized intersections, they may not always be the best option due to topography or other reasons, such as property impacts, capacity issues and proximity to other intersections, according to PennDOT.
