NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio (WJW) – You may be familiar with a traditional roundabout, but what about a peanut-shaped traffic pattern?
One such highly anticipated roundabout is set to open in Ohio.
Officials in North Ridgeville, about 23 miles southwest of Cleveland, announced on the city's website that the unconventional traffic pattern would open by Saturday, Dec. 28. (Construction has been underway since September.)
Video captured by Nexstar's WJW shows a bird's-eye view of the unusual traffic junction. Take a look below:
In a post to the city's Facebook page, officials offered "a few pointers to help drivers navigate safely."
The tips included turning right to enter the roundabout, yielding to traffic already in the roundabout, and traveling counter-clockwise through the traffic peanut. Drivers are advised not to stop once entering the roundabout.
According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, roundabouts are safer than traffic signals and can move traffic more efficiently with fewer delays.
ODOT recognizes that roundabouts aren’t typically perceived as a popular solution among the public, but officials said that would change over time.
“Much of that is due to a lack of education about their benefits and them being a relatively new traffic pattern for many areas of Ohio. Public reaction usually flips to positive within a year or two of them being installed and open to traffic.”
According to the city, the final grading, seeding and landscaping will take place in the spring.
