A preliminary design for the proposed roundabout. Renderings courtesy of Mountain Brook.
In the upcoming years, Mountain Brook may see major traffic changes to an area that is constantly plagued by congestion: the intersection where U.S. 280, Cahaba Road, Culver Road and Lane Parke Road meet.
After noticing a problem a few years ago, the city of Mountain Brook conducted a feasibility study with the city of Birmingham and the Alabama Department of Transportation to determine the best course of action. Their solution was roundabouts.
“We looked at options for those intersections and if it could be eligible for federal funds,” said Alicia Bailey, transportation team leader at Sain Associates, who helped conduct the initial feasibility study. The project did qualify for federal funds, which means that Mountain Brook will only pay 10 percent of the cost for the renovations.
When looking at the project, the company and the cities looked at the purpose and need for enhancements to the intersection. They analyzed the congestion and safety concerns for both drivers and pedestrians in that area and Bailey said the current intersection can be confusing and there isn’t much connectivity for pedestrians.
“Right now, a lot of the sidewalks just come up and stop,” she said. “The intersection improvement that most satisfied the purpose and need was [roundabouts].”
The first, smaller traffic circle would connect U.S. 280 with Cahaba Road and Culver Road and lead a transition into the second traffic circle, which would connect U.S. 280 with Cahaba Road and Lane Parke Road, as well as the Lane Parke developments.
By implementing two roundabouts, the hope is to increase the safety by reducing the points of direct conflict and creating a continuous flow of traffic throughout both intersections, Bailey said.
“If anything, it helps to have them in a sequence,” she said. “There’s more angular crashes [in roundabouts], which tend to be less severe than a crash … that is 90 degrees.”
Pedestrians would be safer walking through a roundabout as well because they only have to cross one lane of traffic at a time before they reach a refuge island, she said, and the new designs would be looking carefully at the APPLE Sidewalk Study that Mountain Brook has moved forward with.
Sain Associates is working on the first phase of the project, which involves analyzing the possible environmental impact of the traffic circles on the surrounding community, collecting traffic counts and reviewing the preliminary designs based on their findings. From there, Sain may decide to alter the preliminary designs and meet again with the stakeholders.
Despite having a tentative course of action, Bailey said there is still a long way to go before any groundbreaking occurs, possibly even five years.
“It takes a lot of time when you’re dealing with federal money,” she said.
To make sure the ultimate goal of creating an enhanced intersection is met, public involvement is key, and Bailey is encouraging community members to attend future informational meetings.
“A lot of times you have a lot of negative comments because the people who support it don’t come [to the meetings],” she said. “It’s really important for us to get a lot of positive feedback, too; because then it gives you a more true picture of what the community is saying.”
