EDITORIAL

Roundabouts in Apponaug

Posted 10/27/16

There's no going back. The die was cast at least a decade ago, when after public hearings where roundabouts were touted as the wave of the future, they were adopted as the solution to Apponaug traffic. It all made perfect sense. Instead of coming to a

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in
EDITORIAL

Roundabouts in Apponaug

Posted

There’s no going back.

The die was cast at least a decade ago, when after public hearings where roundabouts were touted as the wave of the future, they were adopted as the solution to Apponaug traffic. It all made perfect sense. Instead of coming to a standstill at intersections, traffic would keep flowing, people would get where they want, and a village once choked with automobiles would experience a rebirth.

There were the skeptics who questioned, aren’t roundabouts just another name for rotaries? They pointed to the Bourne Bridge rotary, which isn’t always running like clockwork, and the delightful confusion of Parisian traffic circling the Arc de Triomphe and wondered if Apponaug might get the same. Of course, the Apponaug versions wouldn’t be as large, but then we would get five of them and some Parisian madness would be fun.

The engineers and planners had an answer. Roundabouts are different. They are smaller and traffic entering them is angled into the traffic flow in such a manner that they must reduce speed. Their solution made sense: keep things moving.

Plans were drawn up. Apponaug, where traffic was already circulating in the form of a giant wheel, was to be divided into a series of smaller wheels. Getting from those plans to the real thing has taken more years than expected and more money than imagined.

It was the mid-1990s when then mayor Lincoln Chafee celebrated the inclusion of $11 million in the state transportation improvement plan for the Apponaug bypass. The project unfolding before us, which is slated for completion next year, is costing $71 million. About $30 million of that is for the actual construction, with the bulk of the remainder spent on land acquisition, demolition and engineering. The work has also involved the relocation and replacing of water and gas lines and electric.

And what’s it done for traffic?

We’re starting to see that. Predictably, there have been some bumps other than those caused by construction. There are the reports of motorists driving the wrong way around partially completed roundabouts. And how many times have we encountered fearful drivers immobilized when instead, as the planners told us, they should be easily entering the flow?

We’ve been told there’s a learning curve. And, yes, it would seem those who frequently drive through Apponaug are getting the hang of it. Traffic is moving. The work is impressive, especially the new Veterans Memorial Drive and extension to the Centerville and Toll Gate Road roundabout. And if you have time, although taking your eyes off the traffic could be risky, check out the stonework that went into the roundabouts, walls and bridges. This is a quality project.

Will it breathe new energy into Apponaug; will it make the village a destination?

That would be good. In the meantime, drive carefully and tell yourself this a good thing.

Comments

4 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here

  • davebarry109

    The first time I drove into one of the new rotaries, a young woman stopped dead half way around. Just stopped dead in the circle. When I beep, she flipped me off. If I could only spend a few moments with her and educate her.

    Saturday, October 29, 2016 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    "When I beep, she flipped me off. If I could only spend a few moments with her and educate her."

    Dave, you lost the chance to educate her when you honked, which most take as an aggression. If you had applied a bit of patience, I am sure she would have processed the surroundings and learned how it works.

    Saturday, October 29, 2016 Report this

  • davebarry109

    WwkVoter....honk is a sign of agression? No, the horn on a vehicle, according to the motor vehicle code, is to warn of danger. Stopping in the middle of a rotary is dangerous. She was a dope. You also need re-education. You are one of those who see everything as agression. No doubt you are a fan of 'trigger warnings' to make sure your little feelings don't get hurt.

    Tuesday, November 1, 2016 Report this

  • JohnStark

    Good and fair analysis. There will be some 'bumps', but people need to learn the basic rule of driving in a rotary: If you're in the rotary, you have the right of way so keep on going. As a frequent critic of municipal undertakings, I really believe this is going to go well. It's already a time saver.

    Wednesday, November 2, 2016 Report this