East Lyme ―Residents asked for their input on potential improvements to Route 161 from the Flanders section of town to Niantic village say their driving concern is speed.

The engineering firm BETA Group on Thursday evening presented an array of options to alleviate traffic backups and promote options for walkers and bikers. Several of the roughly 30 people in attendance, were skeptical that a roundabout and extensive bike lanes would be successful without addressing how fast people drive.

The Route 161 Corridor Study is a process designed to lay the groundwork for a safer, less congested thoroughfare. Officials hope the $250,000 study, spearheaded by the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments and funded by federal and state transportation agencies, will lead to more grant dollars for the projects recommended in a final report expected this summer.

While numerous efforts to slow traffic and reduce crashes were broached, one of the biggest topics of conversation at the meeting was a conceptual $1.7 million roundabout at the intersection of Route 161 and East Pattagansett Road.

The other option for the intersection carried a $225,000 price tag. It called for replacing the current traffic signal with one that adjusts the timing of red, yellow and green lights to accommodate changing traffic patterns and ease traffic congestion.

BETA Group Inc. project manager Joe Rimiller said there are fewer crashes in roundabouts compared to signaled intersections. He said sidewalks and crosswalks as part of the design would enhance pedestrian safety as well.

A roundabout avoids left turns by sending all traffic counterclockwise around a center island. That cuts down on the t-bone and head-on crashes that cause fatalities and serious injuries.

Rimiller said the area could accommodate a “fairly large” roundabout with a diameter of 130 feet. The design would generally keep speeds in the roundabout between 20 and 25 miles per hour, according to the project manager.

Salem roundabout success

Rimiller described the concept as comparable in size to the nearby, high profile roundabout in Salem that opened in late 2012 as an early adopter of the traffic calming measure. A state DOT spokesman put the diameter of the Salem roundabout at 144 feet.

Now a state DOT success story, the Salem roundabout was first pitched to residents as a safety enhancement in an area that saw a lot of through traffic heading to the beaches from points west.

A state project manager last year year said a five-year preconstruction average of 22 crashes and nine injuries in Salem each year was reduced to 10 crashes and one injury annually from 2014-19.

A September report from BETA Group looking at a three-year period from 2019 to 2021 found no crashes at the intersection of Route 161 and East Pattagansett Road.

Across the entire Route 161 study area, the report found 141 collisions with no fatalities during the same timeframe. The most dangerous span was from Flanders Four Corners to Industrial Park Road, which is dominated by the Interstate 95 highway interchange and numerous plazas.

Historical crash data from Oak Hill Road to Laurel Hill Road, which runs roughly the length of Gorton Pond, showed a predisposition to serious and fatal crashes. The report said the type of crashes common in the area are often caused by factors including road obstructions, inadequate signs or guardrails, slippery pavement, poor visibility and excessive speed.

Residents at this week’s meeting wondered if putting in a roundabout would actually increase crashes in the area.

Ed Javor, who lives on Flanders Road in a spot where getting in and out of his driveway is already a lengthy process, said he sees a roundabout making the situation worse because there won’t be the breaks in traffic that exist with the traffic signal.

“With a roundabout, you’re going to get a steadier flow by design, and that’s a good thing – unless you live in one of these houses and you’re trying to get out of your driveway,” he said.

Javor estimated it can take 5 to 10 minutes to get on the road during peak congestion. He said having to wait even longer can lead to risky maneuvers that could result in crashes.

“As safe a driver as you may be, how long are you going to sit there before you say ‘I think I can make it?’ That’s my biggest concern,” he said.

Rimiller said the traffic signal replacement option would result in fewer delays for drivers than the roundabout, based on industry calculations.

Among those who participated in an informal vote following Rimiller’s presentation, 17 were in favor of the signal replacement and five in favor of the roundabout.

Ideas for reducing speeds and crashes included installing signs that let drivers know how fast they’re going, as well as a host of options including wider sidewalks, more crosswalks, and a reduction in the number of driveways – which Rimiller referred to as “opportunities for collisions” – that allow for entering and exiting businesses.

Bike paths options

One of the more labor- and cost-intensive possibilities was a “shared use path” along portions of Route 161 for bikers, runners and walkers on a roughly 8- to 10-foot paved surface with a grass strip separating it from the road. A less intensive “buffered bike lane” option relies on painted lines to delineate the space instead of a grass separator.

Rimiller estimated the cost of the shared use path at $825,000, while the buffered bike lane would cost about $15,000. Those at the meeting supported a shared use path from Society Road to Stop and Shop by a vote of 8-5, and in the area between Flanders Four Corners and the high school by a vote of 5-2.

Several residents expressed doubt about the feasibility of making the area safer for bicyclists.

The study is happening against the backdrop of a four-year, $142 million Interstate 95 reconstruction project at exit 74 that started last month with a focus on making the highway and the adjacent portions of Route 161 safer and less congested.

Rimiller said the engineering firm will use the community input to narrow down the recommendations in the final report. Then it’s up to those in town to decide what they want to do with it.

“This is a planning study, so we’re not coming out of this and starting construction,” he said. “It’s more about having a long term plan.”

More information and opportunities to comment are available at www.route161corridorstudy.com.

e.regan@theday.com