By Thomas J. McKillen
Managing Editor

The development of roundabouts remains a source of debate in road planning.
During the Jan. 10 Washington County Board meeting, Washington County Highway Commissioner Jon Edgren noted in passing that the state "will be adding lots of roundabouts" in the town of Jackson, village of Slinger and the town of Polk as part of the reconstruction of Hwy. 60
Edgren said Hwy. 60  between Hwy. 41 and Hwy. 45 will be reconstructed by the state, going from a two-lane road to four-lane divided road. In addition, the state will be installing roundabouts at the Hwy. 60 intersections with Hwy. C, B and at the US 45 on and off-ramp.
Edgren said that project will begin in the spring.
Also, a roundabout is planned for Hwy. 60 and Hwy. G. Edgren noted that the intersection "has a significant accident history over the past five years." Edgren cited sightlines and traffic volume issues as the reason behind accidents at the intersection.
Supervisor Marilyn Merten asked why the state is seeking to replace stop signs and traffic lights with roundabouts along Hwy. 60.
"It seems to make no sense when something is working, why they would remove the stop and go lights?" Merten asked.
"I have not been part of those design meetings," Edgren said in response. Edgren summarized the state reasons behind encouraging roundabouts.  Edgren said that with roundabouts, the T-type collision of one car directly hitting another car is eliminated and instead replaced with a sideswipe, which reduces the number of fatalities.
In addition, Edgren said long term designs calls for roundabouts at the off- and on-ramps of Hwy. 41 and Hwy. 60.
"It becomes kind of a domino effect. If you're going to begin using roundabouts, it begins to make sense to use roundabouts in other situations," Edgren said.
Merten took issue with a proposal for a roundabout near American Eagle Drive and Hwy. C, which is lacking lighting.
"I just don't think it's right to come in and put roundabouts all over the place," Merten said.
Merten’s comments are the most recent in the mixed response roundabouts have received. On his "Moneyed Politicians" blog, Richifeld resident Jack E. Lohman said: "The judicious use of roundabouts makes sense, like the one at Hwy 164 and County Line in Richfield which has totally eliminated traffic bottlenecks."
"But at Good Hope and Town Line roads in Lannon? Give me a break. Doesn’t there first have to be traffic?" Lohman added.
Safety concerns are one reason cited by the state Department of Transportation for installing roundabouts. The agency's website cited information from a 2001 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study which concluded that 23 instances in the U.S. of converting intersections to roundabouts reduced injury crashes by 80 percent and all crashes by 40 percent.
"Despite the safety and other benefits of roundabouts, as well as the high levels of public acceptance once they are built, some states and cities have been slow to build roundabouts, and some are even opposed to building them. The principal impediment is the negative perception held by some drivers and elected officials. Transportation agencies also have long been accustomed to installing traffic signals, and it can take time for deeply rooted design practices to change," the DOT website stated.
Waukesha County officials also noted the safety benefits of the roundabout at Good Hope and Town Line roads during a dedication on  Nov. 30, as Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas said they have been shown to reduce the potential for serious accidents by 85 percent.
“This was one of the most dangerous intersections that we had in the county highway system. That was the reason we got the project done,” Vrakas said later.