Roundabout solution for local traffic

Sometimes it seems like we are just running around in circles. Later this year, it will be more than a feeling.

The state Department of Transportation intends to add a roundabout on the newly reconstructed Trunk Road, not far from the ramps to the Parks Highway. While the entire road won’t be open until sometime next summer, the roundabout will be partially open much earlier, with the fourth offshoot opening with the rest of the new construction.

Most Valley drivers have likely encountered a roundabout in Anchorage, where there are a few, if not in other states or in Europe. They’ve become an increasingly popular way to keep traffic moving through intersections. They’ve also caused plenty of confusion among the uninitiated.

While roundabouts seem very European, the first one-way circular rotary system in the world was New York City’s Columbus Circle, built in 1904. Those old, simple designs were prone to backup during heavy traffic and fell out of favor in the 1950s.

But, they are back — new improved roundabouts that use feeder roads to help channel traffic through intersections efficiently. Well, as efficiently as the drivers will allow.

As with any “new” innovation, the Valley’s first roundabout will be a learning experience for many. There will those who will grouse about its inconvenience, its strangeness or its inefficiencies. We think we heard those complaints when the Glenn-Parks interchange was redesigned a few years ago, too.

With Alaska’s byways strained by escalating traffic, it’s important for DOT to consider every option when planning the flow of traffic. If engineers see the Trunk Road Roundabout as a way to make traffic flow better, it behooves Valley drivers to learn to make it work.

There’s an educational public open house 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Mat-Su College (Fred and Sara Machetanz Rm. 202) where the curious can learn details and ask about driving rules. Those who cannot attend may visit alaskaroundabouts.com.