Larger Roundabout Planned For Busy Part Of Frisco
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FRISCO (CBS11) - With the Cowboys new world headquarters about to become a magnet for visitors, city planners want to make sure you can get to it in one piece.
The three-way intersection of Gaylord Parkway and John Hickman Parkway just north of the Ford Center at The Star will be home to the city's first multilane roundabout.
The barricades are still up for now on John Hickman, but the city is hoping to get drivers ready for what to expect when they're coming from or going to the Cowboys new headquarters.
It may look easy enough without traffic, but drivers could get confused by patterns in the city's first multilane roundabout.
Residents like Kimmi Vo say the single-lane roundabouts in her Frisco subdivision have been good at handling traffic.
"I like them in the neighborhood just because I think it makes people slow down and kind of think about where they're going," Vo said.
But when it comes to the idea of building them outside of residential areas, Vo says she's not so sure.
"I'm a little nervous about that just because I know drivers here in Frisco are already so distracted with so many things going on," Vo said.
Frisco put together a video showing people what to expect at the roundabout. Frisco Asst. Director of Engineering and Transportation Brian Moen insists the system is often much safer than an all-way stop sign or even a traffic light.
"Nationally we're typically seeing 90 percent reduction in fatality rates over, say a signal used intersection, and then injury crashes are reduced by over 70 percent," Moen said.
The city is confident drivers will get the hang of the new traffic patterns.
"I think if it's there long enough, they'll get used to it. It's just I don't know how long that will take for somebody to get used to," Vo said.
City officials say they plan to open these roads leading to the roundabout sometime early next week.
You can find more information about the new roundabout here.
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