One of Upper Arlington's most congested intersections is poised to trade its traffic lights for a roundabout.
In the hopes of reducing traffic jams and improving safety at the five-way crossroads of Fishinger Road, Tremont Road and Northwest Boulevard – known as the Five Points intersection – city of Upper Arlington leaders have been working through three proposed renovation options over the past year. Now, after a traffic study, open house and community survey, the city has picked a circular roundabout as its preferred choice for the intersection.
Tony Lenhart, project manager for Indianapolis-based architecture and engineering firm American Structurepoint Inc., presented the Upper Arlington Public Service Department's recommended concept for the intersection
to City Council at its Sept. 14 meeting.
The estimated project cost, including construction, right-of-way acquisition and utility relocations, is $6.34 million, according to Lenhart's presentation.
The project will now move into a detailed design phase, which will involve meetings with impacted property owners and conversations about land acquisitions and utilities near the intersection, according to Lenhart. Construction, which he said will be "challenging," is targeted for 2028 but could be pushed back to the following year.
"At this point, the City has identified a circular roundabout as its preferred alternative, with additional design work still to come before construction," city spokesperson Andrés Antequera said in an email.
The three options, as presented at a February open house attended by upwards of 100 Upper Arlington residents, were a signalized intersection, circular roundabout or noncircular roundabout. Most attendees who spoke at the open house expressed concern over the safety of roundabouts, sharing worries that some drivers wouldn't know how to navigate them properly and the number of crashes would increase. Others said they thought traffic congestion could worsen with cars moving more slowly.
But as Lenhart outlined at the Sept. 14 City Council meeting, an online survey circulated after the open house found that 55% of respondents were in favor of one of the two roundabout options. He added that roundabouts have been found to lessen the severity of crashes, and communities are increasingly building them for both safety and traffic capacity benefits.
"No one wants to come to an area where you’re going to sit in traffic for a half-hour, right? We all avoid Polaris and Easton around Christmas because no one wants to go and sit in all that traffic mess," Lenhart said at the meeting. "You’re seeing a lot more communities that are able to get traffic efficiently through their communities, as well as in a safe manner, so I think that’s what’s leading a lot of people to choose that route."
In response to concerns about access to nearby businesses, Lenhart acknowledged that the driveways to a handful of nearby businesses would be directly impacted by the roundabout, and the next step is initiating conversations with them to coordinate modifying those access points.
As far as pedestrian safety worries go, Lenhart pointed to potential crossing enhancements like the rectangular rapid flashing beacons seen near schools and refuge islands that allow pedestrians to safely wait for gaps in traffic to cross.
Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at ewozniak@dispatch.com or @emma_wozniak_ on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Upper Arlington picks solution for troubled Five Points intersection
