LAFAYETTE, La. — The City of Lafayette has plans to install five roundabouts at busy intersections, hoping to improve safety and traffic flow.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, roundabouts can reduce fatal and serious injuries by up to 82%.
Jeanette Webster has been living in her home for nine years and can see the busy intersection at West Broussard Road and Duhon Road from her front porch. She tells KATC that her husband at one point counted 800 cars in just one hour that passed in front of the intersection.
"The traffic doesn't bother me but it's dangerous because a lot of times people run those stop signs at 60 and 70 miles an hour," Webster said.
But traffic could slow down with the addition of new roundabouts and potentially put a brake on some traffic incidents.
KATC asked Webster how she feels about these roundabouts coming to Lafayette and one being installed right next to her house.
"Well I think it's going to help the traffic flow much much better when they get it installed but I worry about how much of our driveway it's going to take and how much land it's going to take. That's the only thing that worries me," Webster said.
Warren Abadie, Director of Traffic, Roads and Bridges, explains the process for acquiring property.
"We develop a plat that shows what property we need, we get it appraised so that we pay fair market value for the property we need and then offers go out and negotiations so that we can acquire the land," Abadie said.
For Webster, she's looking forward to less traffic congestion.
"I don't know how much they will be taking until they talk to us. The roundabout is going to help the traffic so much I think it will be worth it," Webster said.
Abadie tells KATC why the addition of the roundabouts are necessary.
"Typically traffic engineering is a balance of three principles: congestion, safety and convenience. Roundabouts check every box and so sometimes we do roundabouts to make it safer and sometimes we do roundabouts for congestion but we always get those benefits no matter where we do it," Abadie said.
According to our partners at the Advocate, the five roundabouts will be installed at these locations.
- E Broussard Road and Robley Drive
- West Broussard Road and Duhon Road
- Ridge Road and Domingue Road
- Vincent Road at E Broussard Road
- LA 92 and E Broussard Road near Milton
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