The folks at Ironwood are happy for the good people of East Concord, New Hampshire! In just a few months drivers will have a new and improved intersection at Mountain Road, Shawmut Street, and East Side Drive that includes a multiuse path, crosswalks, roadway islands, and lighting. Construction begins soon and will be completed sometime this fall.

The new intersection will have a roundabout design with attractive landscaping to which Ironwood staff contributed landscape architectural services to the City.

We know! Some people don’t like roundabouts.

Roundabouts do take getting used to, but planners, engineers, and design professionals love them.
Here are a few reasons from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that should inspire the currently unconvinced to also love roundabouts:

  • Roundabouts have better safety records than traditional stop signs and traffic signals. One way roundabout traffic minimizes the chance for head-on or t-bone crashes.
  • Roundabouts lower traffic speeds, making crossing safer for pedestrians other roadway users.
  • Relax! There’s no reason to rush! There is no traffic light to beat when using a roundabout.

To top it all off, there are also environmental benefits to traffic roundabouts. As it turns out, engines idling at stop signs and signal lights really hurt air quality, so keeping the traffic moving through a roundabout is a good thing.

There you have it!

http://www.concordmonitor.com/exit-16-roundabout-concord-nh-public-meeting-april-2017-9083826