CRAWFORD CO., Pa. — The Wolf Administration yesterday welcomed the enhanced safety benefits being provided to motorists by two new roundabouts that opened to traffic this summer in Saegertown Borough, Crawford County.

The roundabouts have been constructed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) about one mile apart at the northern and southern intersections of Route 198 and Route 6 in Saegertown. Through the cooperation of the borough, they serve as attractive gateways into the community.

“These two roundabouts are an excellent example of PennDOT and local officials working cooperatively to enhance the safety and efficiency of our highway system to better serve the traveling public,” said Governor Tom Wolf.

“People sometimes ask why we are building roundabouts, and the answer is safety,” Wolf said.

Data shows there are 90 percent fewer fatal accidents at single lane roundabouts compared to similarly sized signalized intersections, and about 75 percent fewer serious injury accidents.

Along with the safety enhancement with a roundabout comes an increase in efficiency. Statistics show a roundabout can accommodate 30 percent more traffic at peak periods.

The benefits of the borough’s new roundabouts were discussed at a news conference today by the district executive of PennDOT’s northwest region, William G. Petit, and Saegertown Borough Manager Chuck Lawrence Jr.
“We are really pleased with the result of both roundabouts and are extremely happy with how traffic is flowing at both ends of town,” said Lawrence. “Thanks to PennDOT for investing in Saegertown and to the contractors for a job well done.”

Petit said, “With the cooperation of the Borough, we were able to move these projects forward to provide a safer, more efficient and more attractive travel corridor in the community.”

Cooperation between PennDOT and the Borough made possible some additional enhancements – not only decorative landscaping but also paving and updating sidewalks and curb ramps in the area between the roundabouts.
Petit expressed PennDOT’s appreciation of the support and patience shown by the Saegertown community, particularly the business community, during the construction.

PennDOT District 1 built its first roundabout in 2014 in Waterford, Erie County.

The southern roundabout in Saegertown opened to traffic on June 19 and the northern roundabout opened to traffic on August 29, although some construction activities continue on that project.

PennDOT’s northwest region currently has one more roundabout under construction, on Millfair Road in Erie County. Two more are in design in Mercer and Crawford counties.

The two newly opened roundabouts are part of a $10.4 million infrastructure investment in the Saegertown area.

The northern roundabout was coupled with a superstructure replacement on the adjacent 300-foot-long Brookhouser Road Bridge. Together, they had a construction cost of $7.2 million. The contractor is Clearwater Construction, Inc. of Mercer, PA.

The southern roundabout was coupled with a widening and improvement project at the intersection of Route 198 and Route 77 at nearby Blooming Valley.  The total cost was $3.1 million. The contractor is J.C. Lee Construction & Supply of Petrolia Pa.

Both projects were made possible by Pennsylvania’s comprehensive transportation financing plan – Act 89.
(PennDOT) has produced a video to assist Pennsylvanians in navigating roundabouts. The video instructs viewers how to use both single and multi-lane roundabouts whether in a vehicle, on a bicycle or on foot.

The video can be accessed by visiting the roundabout page on www.penndot.gov or by visiting the department’s YouTube channel.
Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com.

511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 825 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.