Allegheny County Airport Authority officials said it was built with economic development in mind.
Late last month, the authority the Ewing Road Interstate 376 on-and-off exit ramps to motorists, unveiling a newly designed traffic roundabout that is one of the first to be built in recent years in Allegheny County.
The project, which the airport authority funded, cost $950,000 and shuttered the exit ramps for more than four months during construction.
Randy Forester, senior director of development for the authority, told Patch the roundabout will improve traffic management in the area as the number of vehicles on the road increases during the next decade.
So what do you think? Have you traveled on the roadway? Was the project worthwhile? Will the roundabout better manage traffic?
My only concern is that people on motorcycles heading south on Ewing may try to go around it way over the speed limit, possibly hitting cars exiting from 376 E. There is a limited sight line from the left when exiting and the roundabout's safety counts on speed control.
Modern roundabouts are the safest form of intersection in the world. Visit www.iihs.org for safety facts.
Roundabouts are safer and do save fuel compared to normal intersections, especially uncontrolled ones.
Personally, I like it when people try to share their profession and the reasoning behind decisions. It's usually never as simple or arbitrary as it appears to be on the surface. For every intersection and road setup there are many decisions made based on sight lines, population, traffic rates, drainage etc. I use that exit several times a week and overall I believe that it is safer than the old one. Obviously, accident statistics will tell the truth and carry more weight than my opinion or yours.