Motorists in Jefferson County must learn how to navigate a turbo roundabout

5 hours ago 1

HISTORY MONTH. FIRST, A BIG CHANGE FOR MOTORISTS IN JEFFERSON COUNTY, OUT NEAR THE METROPOLITAN EXCUSE ME, INDUSTRIAL PARK. THANKS FOR JOINING US. I’M GUY RAWLINGS. AND I’M BRITTANY DECKER. A NEW TURBO ROUNDABOUT HAS REPLACED THE OLD INTERSECTION AT LOW TOWN ROAD AND OLD TUSCALOOSA HIGHWAY. WE HAVE OUR WVTM 13 LISA CRANE THERE NOW LIVE IN LOCAL AND LISA. THIS SOUNDS FAST. YEAH. YOU KNOW, THE NAME IS A LITTLE DECEIVING BECAUSE THE WHOLE POINT OF A ROUNDABOUT IS ACTUALLY TO SLOW TRAFFIC AND TURBO ROUNDABOUTS ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT TOO. THIS IS ONE OF ONLY THREE IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. SEVERAL THOUSAND VEHICLES TRAVEL THROUGH THIS AREA NEAR METROPOLITAN INDUSTRIAL PARK EVERY DAY. MANY ARE INDUSTRIAL AND LARGE TRUCKS, BUT NOW THEY CAN MAKE IT THROUGH QUICKER BECAUSE THE OLD T INTERSECTION OF LOW TOWN ROAD AND OLD TUSCALOOSA HIGHWAY THAT USED TO LOOK LIKE THIS IS NOW A TURBO ROUNDABOUT. BUT ROUNDABOUTS REALLY ARE DESIGNED TO SLOW TRAFFIC DOWN. HOWEVER, THE TURBO TERM COMES FROM THE AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC THAT CAN ACTUALLY PASS THROUGH THIS ROUNDABOUT SAFELY. THE COUNTY ENGINEER SAYS EVEN THOUGH IT’S SLOWING DOWN TRAFFIC, VEHICLES DON’T HAVE TO COME TO A STOP AND WAIT. THAT SAVES TIME. AND BECAUSE THERE ARE NO LEFT TURNS CROSSING TRAFFIC, WHICH ARE INHERENTLY MORE DANGEROUS, ROUNDABOUTS ARE SAFER. ROUNDABOUTS LIMIT THE CONFLICT POINTS, SO WHEN A CAR ENTERS, IF THERE HAPPENS TO BE AN ACCIDENT, THE CONFLICT POINT IS THEN LOWERED. SO THE ACCIDENT TYPICALLY IS NOT AS LARGE OF AN ACCIDENT AS A AS A T INTERSECTION. HOWEVER, IT REALLY DECREASES BY ABOUT 33% OF ACCIDENTS FROM A TRADITIONAL T TO A ROUNDABOUT. BUT THE TURBO ROUNDABOUT WILL TAKE SOME GETTING USED TO. THAT’S BECAUSE EVEN BEFORE YOU ENTER, YOU HAVE TO COMMIT TO WHICH OF THE OTHER FOUR EXITS YOU’RE TAKING. IF YOU CHOOSE THE WRONG LANE, YOU COULD BE FORCED TO TAKE THE WRONG EXIT. ONCE YOU ENTER, YOU THEN WILL BE EXITING WHATEVER YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO ENTER. SO JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT AS YOU APPROACH THE ROUNDABOUT, SO HAVE AN IDEA OF WHICH WAY YOU WANT TO GO. READ THE SIGNS AND THEN FOLLOW THROUGH. NOW, JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT ROUNDABOUTS WERE THE LAST CHANGE, WE HAD TO GET USED TO OUT ON THE ROADS NOT FAR FROM HERE, JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF METROPOLITAN INDUSTRIAL PARK, THE I-20 EXIT RAMP ONTO MCASHAN DRIVE ROAD IS GOING TO START THERE VERY SOON TO WIDEN IT AND CREATE WHAT THEY’RE CALLING A DIVERGING DIAMOND INTERCHANGE THAT’S AT EXIT 104. WE’RE GOING TO SHOW YOU WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND WHAT THAT WILL LOOK LIKE. YOU CAN CHECK THAT OUT ON OUR APP OR ON OUR WEBSITE. AND THAT COULD BE HAPPENING. THAT COULD ACTUALLY BE FINISHED AS EARLY AS 2027. LI

There is a big change for motorists in Jefferson County out near the Metropolitan Industrial Park. A new turbo roundabout has replaced the old intersection at Lowe Town Road and Old Tuscaloosa Highway.But the name is a little deceiving. The whole point of a roundabout is to slow traffic, but turbo roundabouts are different, and this is one of only three in the entire country.Several thousand vehicles travel through the area near Metropolitan Industrial Park every day. Many are industrial and large trucks. But now, they can make it through quicker because the old T intersection of Lowe Town Road and Old Tuscaloosa Highway is now a turbo roundabout. Chris Nicholson, director of the Jefferson County Roads and Transportation Department, told us, “Roundabouts really are designed to slow traffic down. However, the turbo term comes from the amount of traffic that can actually pass through this roundabout safely.” Nicholson said even though it's slowing down traffic, vehicles don't have to come to a stop and wait, which saves time. And because there are no left turns crossing traffic, which are inherently more dangerous, roundabouts are safer. Nicholson added, “Roundabouts limit the conflict points. So, when a car enters, if there happens to be an accident, the conflict point is then lower. The accident typically is not as large of an accident as a T'd intersection. However, it really decreases by about 33% of accidents from a traditional tee to a roundabout.” But the turbo roundabout will take some getting used to. That's because even before you enter, you have to commit to which of the other four exits you're taking. If you choose the wrong lane, you could be forced to take the wrong exit. Nicholson said, “Once you enter, you then will be exiting whatever you've chosen to enter. So just keep in mind that as you approach the roundabout to have an idea which way you want to go, read the signs and follow through.” And just when you thought roundabouts were the last change we had to get used to, not far away, on the Interstate 20 exit ramp onto McAshan Drive, road work will soon begin to widen it and create a diverging diamond interchange at Exit 104. See what that will look like here. Work there should be complete sometime in 2027.

MCCALLA, Ala. —

But the name is a little deceiving. The whole point of a roundabout is to slow traffic, but turbo roundabouts are different, and this is one of only three in the entire country.

Several thousand vehicles travel through the area near Metropolitan Industrial Park every day. Many are industrial and large trucks. But now, they can make it through quicker because the old T intersection of Lowe Town Road and Old Tuscaloosa Highway is now a turbo roundabout. Chris Nicholson, director of the Jefferson County Roads and Transportation Department, told us, “Roundabouts really are designed to slow traffic down. However, the turbo term comes from the amount of traffic that can actually pass through this roundabout safely.”

Nicholson said even though it's slowing down traffic, vehicles don't have to come to a stop and wait, which saves time. And because there are no left turns crossing traffic, which are inherently more dangerous, roundabouts are safer. Nicholson added, “Roundabouts limit the conflict points. So, when a car enters, if there happens to be an accident, the conflict point is then lower. The accident typically is not as large of an accident as a T'd intersection. However, it really decreases by about 33% of accidents from a traditional tee to a roundabout.”

But the turbo roundabout will take some getting used to. That's because even before you enter, you have to commit to which of the other four exits you're taking. If you choose the wrong lane, you could be forced to take the wrong exit. Nicholson said, “Once you enter, you then will be exiting whatever you've chosen to enter. So just keep in mind that as you approach the roundabout to have an idea which way you want to go, read the signs and follow through.”

And just when you thought roundabouts were the last change we had to get used to, not far away, on the Interstate 20 exit ramp onto McAshan Drive, road work will soon begin to widen it and create a diverging diamond interchange at Exit 104. See what that will look like here.

diverging diamond exit