RQAW | DCCM has designed 15 roundabouts in the last seven years, prioritizing safety, efficiency, and serviceability. Our expertise in roundabout design covers everything from evaluating the unique needs of each intersection to optimizing traffic flow and ensuring the safety of all road users. Roundabouts offer numerous advantages over traditional signalized intersections, and our team takes pride in creating designs that maximize these benefits for communities.
Prioritizing Safety and Efficiency
When designing roundabouts, safety and efficiency are our top priority. Our team carefully plans the layout of each entrance and exit of the roundabout to ensure vehicles flow smoothly and maintain safe speeds throughout. This helps reduce the likelihood of high-speed collisions, which are more common at traditional intersections.
In addition to vehicle flow, we design roundabouts to accommodate all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, emergency vehicles, farming equipment, and semi-trailers, depending on the needs of the community. RQAW | DCCM’s designers consider how many vehicles will be using the roundabout each day to determine the number of lanes needed. A single-lane roundabout can accommodate approximately 17,500 vehicles a day, while a two-lane roundabout can manage up to 30,000 vehicles daily. By reviewing current traffic patterns, including how many vehicles are using the intersection and where delays may occur, we make sure our design improves traffic flow while minimizing delays.
Impacting Roundabouts on a National Level
RQAW | DCCM’s roundabout experience extends across Indiana and Texas. In Indiana, our team has designed eight roundabouts in Hamilton County, including four in Carmel, often referred to as the “Roundabout Capital of the U.S.” Additionally, our team has designed roundabouts in other cities across the state, such as Indianapolis, Seymour, Valparaiso, and Brownsburg.
RQAW | DCCM’s lead roundabout designer, Yan Zhu, has played a key role in implementing roundabout design guidance throughout Indiana and Texas. His work incorporates the latest studies and guidance from the National Cooperate Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG). Throughout these states, our focus is developing feasible engineering studies and designs that meet both the highest safety and accessibility standards while providing unique and cost-effective solutions for our clients.
Public Education and Community Engagement
As more communities recognize the benefits of roundabouts, RQAW | DCCM has expanded its focus to include public education and coordination efforts to ensure the community is informed and updated, especially when introducing a roundabout to residents who may be unfamiliar with navigating this type of intersection.
Our team works closely with clients to develop tailored public outreach strategies, which may include public information meetings, hearings, and visual aids such as animations, virtual reality, or physical models of the roundabout. In some cases, we use driving simulation technology or life-size mock-ups in parking lots, allowing residents to practice navigating the roundabout before it’s constructed.
RQAW | DCCM’s Director of Roadway Services Nicholas Hoevener and Yan Zhu have collaborated with numerous clients across the country to develop public education programs to best suit the needs of the community. Whether it’s a single meeting or an extensive outreach program, we ensure that the public is informed and confident about how to use the new roundabout safely and effectively.
With 15 roundabout projects completed in just seven years, RQAW | DCCM understands the best practices to ensure each roundabout is safe, reduces as many impacts as possible, and always meets the needs of the client and community.