Copley roundabout debuts
 COPLEY
— Just in time for the start of the new
school year, the new roundabout at the intersection
of Ridgewood and Hametown roads opened this week.
A ceremony officially marking
the opening of the redesigned intersection took place
Aug. 21. Shown at right during the ribbon cutting are
Summit County Engineer Greg Bachman; Copley Township
trustees Helen Humphrys, Dale Panovich and Scott Dressler;
Summit County Council District 3 representative Cazzell
Smith, and Candice Carlyon, of the Ohio Department of
Transportation (ODOT) District 4 Office.
According to Bachman’s
office, the Copley roundabout is the first modern roundabout
in northeast Ohio. “This intersection
innovation will provide motorists with much safer driving
conditions and increase the efficiency of the Ridgewood
Corridor,” Bachman said.
The roundabout, shown above,
was funded in part through an ODOT grant of $387,000.
The remainder of the $460,000 project was shared by
the engineer’s office and the township.
The Hametown-Ridgewood intersection
has been the site of many traffic accidents over the
years, including a March 2005 accident that killed a
Copley resident. Bachman advocated using a roundabout
to improve the intersection because research shows they
reduce accidents.
The roundabout has “one
way” signs mounted in the center island to help
guide traffic. Upon entering the roundabout, a driver
yields to circulating traffic on the left but does not
stop if the way is clear. The roundabout is smaller
than local traffic circles like the one on Mull Avenue
in West Akron.
According to Bachman’s
office, an online video showing how to drive a roundabout
can be viewed at www.iihs.org/research/qanda/roundabouts.html.
—By
Kathleen Folkerth
Photos: Ken Crisafi
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