Richland County Roundabout Has Reduced
Crashes & Injuries
RICHLAND COUNTY - When a 2018 Richland County Planning Commission study identified the intersection of E. Cook Road/S. Illinois Avenue and Mansfield-Lucas Road in Madison Township as the sixth worst in the county overall, and the worst among those under the county’s jurisdiction, the Richland County Engineer’s Office sought ways to secure funding and improve safety.
Data showed that from 2015-2018, the two-way stop-controlled intersection saw 21 total crashes – an average of five per year - and 15 of those resulted in injury.
The Richland County Engineer applied and was awarded safety funding through the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP). The purpose of this program is to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries on all public roads. Funding is available for projects in all stages of development and typically requires a minimum of 10% local match. ODOT safety funds contributed $1.2 million of the total $1.3 million construction contract cost.
With all funding in place, the county was able to move forward with the construction of a single lane roundabout at the intersection of E. Cook Road/S. Illinois Avenue and Mansfield-Lucas Road in 2022.
“The ability for the County to utilize the LPA (Local Public Agencies) process, and Safety Funds administered by ODOT, made the improvement to this dangerous intersection a reality in a timely manner,” said Adam M. Gove, P.E., P.S., Richland County Engineer. “Without this program, the County would have had to delay this project until other funding could be obtained.”
The roundabout was opened in August 2022 and in the two years since its opening, crashes have decreased by 40% with an average of 3 per year and there have been zero injury crashes.
“While only the second roundabout in Richland County, the simple design of a single lane roundabout has proven effective in reducing crashes and injuries, while maintaining the efficiency of this busy intersection,” said Gove.
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