NDOT to install traffic roundabout on State Route 88 at Centerville Lane in Douglas County

CARSON CITY, Nev. – Daytime single lane closures, followed by a 10-day intersection closure, will begin Monday, April 23 on State Route 88 at Centerville Lane in Douglas County as the Nevada Department of Transportation installs a traffic roundabout.

Daytime single lane closures will take place on SR 88 at Centerville Lane April 23 through 27 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a pilot car alternating directions of traffic through the intersection.

An approximately 10-day closure of the SR 88 and Centerville Lane intersection will then begin Monday, April 30 at 10 a.m., with nearby detour available via Mottsville Lane and Foothill Road. Following the full intersection closure, drivers will again see weekday daytime single lane closures until major construction wraps up directly before the Memorial Day holiday.

Travel delays of up to 30 minutes are to be anticipated. Minor finishing elements of construction such as light pole installation will take place in future months.

A compact traffic roundabout will be installed at the intersection of SR 88 and Centerville Lane west of Gardnerville. A smaller version of a modern traffic roundabout, the approximately 80-foot diameter compact roundabout will be slightly smaller in size than the existing SR 88 roundabout at Mahogany Drive.

Sloping, raised concrete curbing will make up the roundabout’s 22-foot round middle island. Buses and freight and haul trucks will be able to slowly travel over the raised concrete median to travel through the roundabout. Concrete curbing will also be used to define the outside of the roundabout.

The roundabout will not feature landscaping in the middle island.

When complete, the posted speed limits on State Route 88 will be reduced to 45 mph approaching the new roundabout, with an advisory speed of 20 mph through the roundabout.

A one-way circular intersection in which traffic flows around a center island without stop signs or signals, the roundabout is being installed to enhance traffic safety. Because traffic enters and exits through right turns only, the occurrence of severe right-angle crashes in roundabouts is substantially less than in many four-way intersections. Roundabouts also have the ability to reduce potentially deadly rear-end crashes which can occur at certain traffic lights.

In fact, an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study found that converting 23 specific intersections from traffic signals to roundabouts reduced injury crashes by 80 percent.

In coming years, NDOT will evaluate the potential of purchasing neighboring land to expand the size of the roundabout.

The approximately $1 million project by contractor Granite Construction Company will enhance traffic safety for the as many as 10,000 drivers who travel near the intersection daily. Additional project information is available at www.nevadadot.com/SR88 or (775) 888-7000.

Roundabout driving tips
Roundabouts do not use stop signs, but often use yield signs to notify drivers to yield to approaching vehicles already in the roundabout. In many ways, entering a roundabout is much like making a right turn from an intersection. Here is how it works.

Entering a roundabout
When readying to enter a roundabout, look in each direction, paying particular attention to vehicles circling the roundabout to the driver’s left.

Give the right-of-way and yield to traffic and/or pedestrians or bicyclists, then enter the roundabout when there is an adequate gap in circulating traffic flow. Do not pass bicycles or other vehicles in a roundabout.
If there are no vehicles immediately approaching, it is legal to proceed into the roundabout without stopping, as long as all traffic laws are followed.

Driving in a roundabout
Following posted speed limits, proceed through the roundabout following the roadway counterclockwise to the right of center island.

Within a roundabout, do not stop for vehicles waiting to enter the roundabout. Those driving within the roundabout have the right-of-way.

Before exiting, use turn signals to indicate where you will exit the roundabout.