State adds nearly 30 roundabouts as lawmakers renew call for limits

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The Wisconsin Department of Transportation added nearly 30 new roundabouts last year, according to the department’s latest stocktaking.

The 28 roundabouts installed last year came as a marked increase from 2015, when only 19 were built — the fewest for any year going back to 2006. Yet, 2016’s figure was still below the all-time high for a single year; 50 roundabouts were installed in 2011. In 2014, 45 were built.

WisDOT officials have a simple explanation for why the numbers vary so much from year to year: Roundabout construction depends almost entirely on the number and type of road projects that are to be completed in any given building season.

Roundabouts are hailed by some as a more efficient and safer alternative to standard intersections. Proponents argue roundabouts help with traffic flow because drivers, when entering the circle, only have to yield to traffic, rather than stop. Similarly, they say roundabouts are safer because they keep cars traveling in the same direction.

Others see drawbacks. Large trucks, for instance, may have trouble getting through traffic circles that are not built wide enough.

Dan Fedderly, executive director for the Wisconsin County Highways Association and a registered professional engineer in the state, said some of the public animus directed toward roundabouts no doubt arises from misunderstandings.

He said roundabouts are a product of “good engineering design,” and said that when something new like a roundabouts comes along, the public often struggles to see the benefits that seem so apparent to engineers.

“Roundabouts just happen to be the focus,” Fedderly said.

Controversy over roundabouts has become heated enough in Wisconsin that it has prompted lawmakers to introduce legislation that would restrict where they can be built. In previous legislative sessions, state officials have tried to win support for bills that would have made the construction of roundabouts conditional on local governments’ assent.

Undeterred after seeing those past efforts fail, GOP lawmakers are back this year with the same proposal. This time, the sought-after limitations on roundabout construction have been included in a larger plan that would also apply to the state’s sales tax to gasoline purchases and overhaul its income-tax system.

The proposal’s chances of being adopted have dimmed in recent days, though, as Gov. Scott Walker and other Republican leaders have showed little interest. Rep. Dale Kooyenga, a Republican from Brookfield and the primary architect of the tax plan, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Fedderly said he doesn’t entirely disagree with those who say local officials should have a say in roundabout construction. But if local officials are to be given a veto, they should also have to be aware of what benefits they might be passing by.

To that end, Fedderly said, any plan to put in a roundabout should come with a detailed proposal explaining why state officials think it should be built at a particular site.

Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow had similar thoughts to Fedderly on the proposal.

“In general, local control is always a key component of effective and efficient government,” Farrow, whose county has 22 roundabouts, said in a written statement. “When it comes to installing roundabouts, it’s important to know the facts about specific intersections.”

For instance, he said, local governments would benefit to know whether there is enough traffic in the area to justify a roundabout. Follow @alexzank