The Bozeman City Commission voted 4-1 on Monday night to approve building a roundabout near the Montana State University campus at College Street and 11th Avenue.
The intersection is currently controlled with a four-way stop. But as early as this fall, it could be home to a 130-foot-wide roundabout with an MSU sign and landscaping that mark an entrance to the university.
Mayor Jeff Krauss opposed installing the roundabout.
"I just think this is too expensive, premature, just barely needed and some alternatives to this should be considered," he said. "That's why I voted against it in the past."
Krauss voted against the commission's decision in 2008 to back the idea of putting in a roundabout rather than a traffic signal at the intersection. The idea stalled after that because commissioners became concerned about the cost of the roundabout and delayed signing a contract to complete its design.
The roundabout is estimated to cost $936,227.
Commissioner Sean Becker said now is a good time to build the roundabout because it may come at a cheaper cost due to the recession.
In other business Monday, the commission unanimously approved plans to build the F&H Building.
"It's the most support I've seen for a proposal that's this complex across the board," Commissioner Chris Mehl said. "It would fit within our downtown, which is historic and also eclectic."
The F&H Building would be built where the two buildings that housed the Montana Trails Gallery, Boodles, Rockin' R Bar and Pickle Barrel used to be.
The new building is expected to have three stories. Commissioners also approved allocating part of a federal grant to the project on Monday night that the developers say allows them to build that third story.
The F&H Building is expected to house a new Rockin' R Bar and Pickle Barrel as well as a restaurant owned by Santa Fe Red's. Both Boodles and the Montana Trails Gallery moved to new locations on East Main Street.
Amanda Ricker can be reached at aricker@dailychronicle.com or 582-2628.
SwissMs posted at 7:57 am on Wed, Mar 10, 2010.
Oh, and people seem to have just as much trouble with "yielding to the right" and following other basic traffic laws... are roundabouts really that different?
SwissMs posted at 7:56 am on Wed, Mar 10, 2010.
If you build it they will learn! There are a lot of things the US is known for being the best at, but traffic and transportation isn't one of them! Roundabouts are WAY better at moving traffic - yes even with pedestrians- than traffic lights!! As for snow and emergency vehicles... Switzerland is arguably more snowy than Montana, and has LOADS of service vehicles, and even double-length buses, which drive gracefully and smoothly through the seemingly endless roundabouts. Let's build something to be proud of, not just slap up a light to make a quick fix!!
Zartchen posted at 11:24 am on Tue, Mar 9, 2010.
A roundabout may have advantages for drivers, but I remain unconvinced that it will handle emergency vehicles well, survive snow removal without major repairs, or provide reasonable pedestrian access. What part of a "complete street" is this roundabout supposed to be?
Chuck Norris posted at 9:15 am on Tue, Mar 9, 2010.
Aesthetically a roundabout will look much better than a traffic light, but Bozeman drivers have no clue how these things work. I live in a neighborhood that has a roundabout and I try to avoid the intersection as much as possible because people do not understand the concept of yielding to traffic that is currently in the roundabout. Also at a cost of nearly $1 million a light would be much cheaper. When the 19th project was gong on and there was a lot more traffic at that intersection the lights they set up worked great, and traffic flowed much smoother.
SwissMs posted at 8:46 am on Tue, Mar 9, 2010.
Welcome to the civilized world, Bozeman!! A roundabout is simply a better way to move traffic smoothly during busy times, without unneeded delays during quiet times! I can think of at least a half-dozen more places a roundabout would greatly improve traffic flow in town. (Especially after the recent study completed on Bozeman's traffic situation!) If the mayor doesn't support it... he should consider how it might pay for itself, over time: loss of productivity due to traffic delays is a major reality in many cities across the US- if Bozeman continues to grow, we will be ahead of the game and avoid unnecessary lost revenue!