East-end interchange opening with 3 roundabouts in Jeffersonville

And while roundabouts may be unfamiliar to some, officials say the initial learning curve will be worth it.

“The idea here is that the roundabouts are a way to help traffic move smoothly, safely, efficiently,” said Dan Hartlage, spokesman for WVB East End Partners.

Set to open Friday, Aug. 28 around 8 p.m., the interchange that will eventually connect to the east-end crossing includes three modified roundabouts.

A roundabout is a circular intersection where traffic flows almost continuously in the counter-clockwise direction around a central island. Traffic entering the circle must yield to traffic already in it. Generally, drivers wanting to exit right should be in the right lane and those wanting to continue in the circle should be in the left lane.

Roundabouts — common in the Northeast U.S., Europe and the Indiana city of Carmel — are similar to traffic circles, which only have one lane. The Port Road roundabout will be similar to a traffic circle in that way. There's also a similar traffic circle at Schell and Daisy lanes in New Albany.

Hartlage said that signs about a quarter of a mile ahead of the roundabouts will adequately show drivers where they need to go. These signs will be large and green above the road, just like any other highway sign.

“For drivers, motorists that are approaching a roundabout, they just need to observe the signs posted as they approach so that they can get into the correct lane,” he said.

Hartlage added that it’s best not to make a last-minute decision about lane navigation.

Although traffic will be coming largely from highways, the roundabouts themselves are “built for traffic no faster than 25 mph,” he said.

Navigating the interchange will become easier with each drive, Hartlage said.

“Roundabouts are not complicated, but they are something that’ll be new to people,” he said. “I would suggest the first time or two that a driver’s going to be navigating one of the interchanges, they might want to allow an extra five minutes just in case.”

He emphasized that the flow of the interchange will eliminate “complications having to do with merging.”

Not only are roundabouts smoother — they’re safer, too.

Roundabouts are proven to decrease fatalities by 90 percent and all crashes by 35 percent, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

The interchange was designed to handle traffic volume projected for 2030, which is expected to peak at 4,300 vehicles an hour.

Growth at River Ridge Commerce Center and in the east end of Jeffersonville, combined with new traffic from the east-end crossing, will contribute to a 3.5 percent increase of wheels on the road every year, according to WVB East End Partners and the Indiana Department of Transportation.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that roundabouts — compared to four-way intersections — increase traffic capacity by 20 to 50 percent and decrease traffic delays by 20 percent, thus saving fuel use and reducing pollution.

Matt Lozier, traffic manager for Voss Clark at the Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville, said the "vast majority" of Voss Clark employees travel Ind. 265 to get to work every day.

"I'm a little concerned on the roundabouts in the beginning because I've seen some of the plans and some of the signs ... and some of these were pretty crazy looking," Lozier said. "I think in the beginning it will probably cause some headaches, but once everybody gets used to it, I think it should help."

He said he finds himself waiting at a signaled intersection on the way to work from the Crystal Springs subdivision often.

"Sometimes you're stuck there through a whole light," Lozier said.

While the new interchange will likely ease access to the Port, Lozier looks ahead toward more time-saving infrastructure.

"The bigger impact is going to be obviously when they finish the east-end bridge because we have a lot of trucks that come through Kentucky," he said.

Work on the interchange will be completed around noon Saturday.