North Dakota DOT improved safety for motorists while increasing traffic efficiency through its $1 million Beulah Retrofit Roundabout project. Prior to construction, the roadway featured a conventional four-leg intersection with turn lanes. This configuration often created challenges for east/west crossings and turnings due to heavy north/south vehicle movements. This intersection ranked fourth on North Dakota DOT’s rural intersection “high crash” location list prior to the construction of this roundabout.
The roundabout retrofit featured an innovative design that serves the state well. By retrofitting the roundabout on the existing intersection, the agency cut roughly $2.5 million from the conventional cost of new construction. This innovation resulted in a savings in both time and materials, which greatly reduced the project’s carbon footprint, cost, and impact on both the environment and traveling public. The roundabout increases the safety to the intersection and the community as it reduces the number of conflicts and eliminates right angle crashes reducing the number of crashes and the severity of the crash at this intersection. In addition to the safety factor, the project significantly improved the flow of traffic through this busy intersection.
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