Sitka-Sawmill
Creek Road/Halibut Point Road Roundabout
The intersection at HPR
/ SCR / and Lake Street is the busiest intersection
in Sitka. The existing
intersection consists of a four-way stop intersection
with a free right turn lane between Halibut Point
Road and Lake Street South. Stop and yield signs
control the existing intersection. Approximately
11000 vehicles use this intersection each day. 2007
traffic data shows there have been eighteen recorded
accidents from the beginning of 2002 through the
end of 2006. This project will install a single
lane roundabout to reduce the number of intersection
crashes, reduce the severity of crashes, provide
increased vehicle capacity, and provide safer pedestrian
crossings.
Roundabouts are
safer than signalized intersections because there
are fewer opportunities for vehicles paths to cross,
thereby greatly reducing the potential for accidents.
Modern roundabouts are not the same as traffic circles
that were built in Europe and some east coast cities
during the early 1900’s. Instead, roundabouts
work much more like a “right on red”
intersection on a one-way street.
Drivers are encouraged
to remember these rules when using the roundabout:
• Slow
down as you approach, checking for vehicles and
pedestrians.
• Yield to traffic already in the circle.
• Turn right as you enter the roundabout (traffic
in roundabouts always flows one way - counterclockwise).
• Do not stop once inside the roundabout.
Last updated:
07/16/2009
