Drivers start your engines.
The roundabout connecting Midland and Penetanguishene will open this week for northbound and southbound traffic including access to Vindin Street, which has been closed for several months.
Signage will be installed at the roundabout to direct motorists, which replaces traffic lights that had been located at the spot for years.
“As an alternative to the existing signalized intersection, a roundabout option was considered and subsequently determined to be the preferred solution,” Simcoe transportation construction manager Julie Scruton said when the project got underway this spring.
Scruton referred to a 2018 study that was conducted in partnership with the Towns of Midland and Penetanguishene that gave the $7.8-million project the green light.
“Other municipalities have demonstrated substantial improvements as a result of the introduction of roundabouts,” she added.
And while Vinden Street will feature a minimum of two paved lanes (one each way) during the ongoing construction will see the closure of Golf Link Road for close to six weeks, making it inaccessible from County Road 93 during the closure.
But the construction company overseeing the project says access to residences and businesses on Golf Link Road will be maintained at all times with detour routes set up and advanced warning signs installed to warn motorists of the road closure.
As for the roundabout, it will feature two lanes approaching and exiting it in each direction during construction.
The contractor will give prior notice of any access restrictions to the residences/businesses. Anyone with special needs for wheelchair access is asked to advise R.J. Burnside & Associates Limited Construction inspector Lyle Simpson (705) 715-2521.
Roundabouts are becoming commonplace across Ontario in communities like Waterloo, Hamilton and London as they have many advantages over traditional signalized intersections, including:
* Reducing average speed of traffic
* Reducing number of fatal & serious injuries at the intersection
* Improving traffic flow
For more information about the advantages of roundabouts and how to navigate them as a driver, cyclist and pedestrian, click here.
