New Roundabout Construction Forces Road Closure Beginning Tomorrow

Posted on: Mar 14th, 2016 | News and Announcements

Beginning tomorrow afternoon, Tuesday, March 15, Half Mile Road between Beverly Road and Irvington-Bayou La Batre Highway will be closed for approximately six months. The purpose of the closure is to begin construction of Mobile County?s next roundabout. Detour signs are posted. Motorists are asked to be cautious, take alternate routes and to allow for extra travel time. Traffic along Irvington-Bayou La Batre Highway can continue moving north and south through the on-site detour. Traffic on Half Mile Road from Padgett Switch Road headed west can continue to use Half Mile Road to Irvington-Bayou La Batre Highway; then must travel either north or south along Irvington-Bayou La Batre Highway. Mobile County was the first county in the State of Alabama to receive federal dollars for construction of a roundabout under the High Risk Rural Road Program. It led to the construction of two roundabouts in the county, one at Grelot and Dawes roads and the other at Three Notch Road and Dawes Lane East and Dawes Lane Extension. The roundabout can eliminate right-angle and head-on crashes because traffic flows in one direction. At the same time, the configuration forces a reduction in speed and eliminates the delays associated with stop-and-start traffic that occur at a signalized intersection. According to the Federal Highway Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation, roundabouts have delivered a 67 to 80 percent reduction in fatalities or incapacitating injuries and a 35 percent reduction in all crashes. John G. Walton Construction Co., Inc., is the contractor.