Roundabout construction starts

Work to upgrade the Carson City roundabout at Edmonds Drive and Fifth Street starts today at 5:30 p.m.

Street Operations Manager John Flansberg said 15- to 20-minute delays can be expected during roundabout construction.

Today, Thursday and Friday if necessary crews from Anchor Concrete will be working from 5:30 p.m. into the evening demolishing the existing roundabout.

During construction traffic control will revert to a four-way stop at the intersection of Edmonds and Fifth.

Southbound trucks will be routed from Butti Way to Fifth Street, Saliman Road to Fairview Drive. Northbound trucks will take the opposite route.

Crews are not allowed to work between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. Survey crews will be working Monday and construction crews will return to the site Tuesday morning to begin building the new roundabout.

Access for emergency vehicles will be provided at all times, Flansberg said.

He said because much of the construction work is concrete work, there will be times when it appears work has stopped. Concrete must sit for up to seven days at times to reach the proper hardness so crews leave the site alone during that time.

The project should be completed by Aug. 1.

There will be no work on the roundabout from June 30 to July 4.

Fifth Street is a state highway and Flansberg said the state doesn't allow work on state highways over major holiday weekends.

Supervisors recently approved the construction of the $205,000 roundabout despite some residents' concerns that the traffic device is dangerous. Many people argued that drivers aren't familiar with the roundabout concept and the intersection should have a traffic light.

City transportation officials recommend the roundabout be built despite its cost and because it decreases the time it takes to get through the intersection and moves traffic with significantly less congestion than the previous four-way intersection.

The roundabout's efficiency could save the city money by delaying such projects as expanding Edmonds Drive to four lanes.