Roundabouts are becoming more popular across North Dakota.
Traffic engineers say they’re safer than normal intersections.
"You have lower speeds going into an intersection," said North Dakota Department of Transportation traffic operations engineer Justin Schlosser. "You also have reduced conflict points -- points where vehicles can run into each other."
Schlosser said that's a lot less than in a "signalized" intersection or stop sign controlled intersection.
"That's because everyone is going in the same direction," Schlosser said.
Schlosser said it virtually eliminates t-bone or head on collisions. He also said it improves traffic flow.
"In most cases, there's less delay and less congestion, because traffic doesn't have to stop," Schlosser said. "You just have yield control, and you just have to wait for an appropriate gap to jump into the circle."
Schlosser said to this points DOT has 8 roundabouts on the state highway system. He said they’re also becoming more popular in cities and counties.
