The City of Oak Ridge has released a potential design of the proposed roundabout near Oak Ridge High School, and a city board will accept public comments on the possible intersection change during a Tuesday evening meeting.
The roundabout could be built at the five-way intersection of Providence Road, Pennsylvania Avenue, East Pasadena Lane, and North Tulane Avenue. City officials aren’t fond of the term, but many residents refer to the intersection as “Malfunction Junction.”
During the Tuesday evening meeting, the Oak Ridge Traffic Safety Advisory Board will discuss the city’s grant application for the roundabout under the Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives program. The discussion will include an overview of the project, and the public will be allowed to comment.
The comments will be compiled for inclusion in the grant application, which is due to TDOT by November 3.
The Oak Ridge City Council unanimously approved the grant application during a Monday evening meeting.
In a press release, the city said the roundabout would reduce vehicle emissions, control vehicular speeds and delays, increase the vehicle capacity at the intersection, and improve vehicle, pedestrian, and bicyclist safety and ease of movement through the intersection.
A roundabout is a circular intersection in which traffic flows continuously in one direction around a central island. There is one in use at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
The Tuesday meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Training Room.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $748,113. If approved, the state grant funding would come from the Transportation Alternative Program. TDOT funds 80 percent of those projects, excluding design, and a 20 percent local match is required.
The city’s cost would be about $150,000, and the city would pay for the design, officials said Monday.
For more information, visit the city’s website at www.oakridgetn.gov.
Here are two poll questions on the proposed roundabout:
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