Signals vs. roundabouts: Property owners say speed, safety primary concerns
February 04, 2010 · Matthew Brown

A public hearing on the subject of "roundabouts versus signalization" at the intersection of Hwys. 30 and 1 was held during Monday's Mount Vernon City Council meeting in Mount Vernon. Local business owners and Iowa Department of Transportation officials weighed in on the various options for that intersection and other improvements along the Hwy. 30 corridor, including the 10th Avenue and Hwy. 30 intersection.

Generally, those who spoke said they were in favor of intersection improvements by using signalization, even if it means property access alterations. It was also announced at the meeting that the city might be able to take up to two years to work on the project.

Beth Mhire, whose family operates Mount Vernon Motel, said, "As a business owner in that area, the speed has to be addressed." Mhire favored a traffic light at the 10th Avenue intersection, which she called "a must."

Denny Dietrich, owner of Gary's Foods, stated his belief that "roundabouts are a mess" and echoed Mhire's concerns about speeding.

Russ Hotz, of MIC Group Insurance, said that 10th Avenue needs to be addressed and that he "would favor signalization" at Hwys. 30 and 1.

On the issue of changes to businesses accesses, Mhire said "most of us are willing to do what we need to do" to assist in improving the intersection. Dietrich said that if the south Hwy. 1 entrance to his store is eliminated, he "can live with that."

Julie Madden, owner of the Corner Stop, said, "We want what's best. We understand we're going to lose some entrances."

Iowa DOT officials - represented at the meeting by transportation planner Cathy Cutler, engineer Tom Story, and traffic safety engineer Tim Simodynes - were included in the council's discussion of the issue upon the conclusion of the public hearing.

The concerns from the public hearing and council were largely fielded by Simodynes, who addressed issues ranging from how a snow plow works in a roundabout to why the Iowa DOT hasn't already lowered posted speed limits along Hwy. 30 in Mount Vernon.

Simodynes explained that a signal at 10th Avenue was not warranted based on Iowa DOT criteria, and was unlikely to be part of any plan for improvement of that intersection.

In addition to safety of the intersection itself, cited in DOT materials as reducing overall crashes by 35 percent, injury crashes by 75 percent, and major injury and fatal crashes by 89 percent, roundabouts help ensure reduced speeds via their design that posted limits simply do not, according to Simodynes.

Cutler also explained that a roundabout isn't off the table for the Hwys. 30 and 1 intersection. She said that the recently awarded $373,000 in grant money to the city from the Iowa DOT for improvements to the Hwys. 30 and 1 intersection, could be used for a roundabout. Cutler also said that the timeline for use of the funds is roughly two years, though there is some flexibility. This time-frame means that the city might be able to leverage some other funding sources to help with improvements to the corridor.

The council will likely be looking at a recently completed transportation evaluation study outlining options for improving the Hwy. 30 corridor in the city, including roundabout options, at the Feb. 16 council meeting.