Rounding Out Salem's Four Corners

When passing through , you might notice some big changes. Gone is the four-cornered intersection with a traffic light directing traffic to and from the malls, casinos and beaches. Instead, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians must navigate a newly paved circular rotary-style pass called a roundabout.

The project, after having been in the planning stages for several years, began earlier this summer and work on the federally funded $4.5 million dollar roundabout project is expected to continue through the fall before completion.

According to the Salem Town website, the next stage in the project will be to begin work on installing the metal beam guardrails.

The construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Routes 82 and 85 is the number of accidents at Salem Four Corners with the goal of improving the overall safety of the intersection, according to the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT).

The project was made a priority after “a fatal car crash and a number of other serious accidents at the intersection.”

A roundabout is a circular intersection, not to be confused with a traffic circle. The purpose of roundabouts are to force lower speeds for entering and circulating traffic. They are much smaller than traffic circles, forcing drivers to slow down and yield before entering the roundabout (see video).

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More information and updates on the status of the project can be found on the Town of Salem’s website.

Guides for roundabout use for vehicular traffic, pedestrians and bicyclists can be found on the CT DOT website.

What do you think of the newly-paved roundabout in Salem? Will it help traffic and reduce accidents or just make it more confusing?