WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI – A new roundabout has opened south of Ypsilanti after more than two months of construction.
According to the Washtenaw County Road Commission, the roundabout at the intersection of Whittaker and Willis Road in Augusta Township opened on Saturday, August 10.
The roundabout is designed to prevent traffic jams that form at the intersection, especially after school, project leaders from the road commission said previously. School buses and farm equipment can use the roundabout, and the center island is designed to accommodate larger trucks and other vehicles if necessary, officials said.
The project cost was estimated at $1.3 million and funded by federal funds and transportation funds from the state of Michigan, according to a presentation by the Road Commission in February.
The roundabout adjacent to the Lincoln Consolidated Schools campus on Willis Road is just one mile south of another intersection with Whittaker Road. converted into a roundabout in the 2023 construction season.
The project began when construction was completed on another roundabout in western Washtenaw County at the intersection of Miller and Zeeb Roads between Ann Arbor and Dexter. The roundabout reopened in early June.
Read more: Roundabout in Washtenaw County opens after months of construction
A new roundabout is being built near downtown Dexter at the intersection of Island Lake and Dexter-Chelsea streetsConstruction is scheduled to begin in 2026.
Roundabouts allow for lower speeds and reduce the number of accidents compared to traditional intersections, while also reducing the number of serious injuries and deaths, highway officials said.
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