Roundabouts

According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, a modern roundabout is an unsignalized, circular intersection engineered to maximize safety and minimize traffic delay. Over the last few decades, tens of thousands of roundabouts have been installed in Europe, Australia and other parts of the world. Recently, they have gained support in the United States, including communities in Iowa. From 1999 to 2009, at least 33 modern roundabouts were constructed in Iowa. 

The city of Johnston has a series of five roundabouts located on NW 62nd Avenue, the first series of its size in our state. Roundabouts are also on NW 70th Avenue and NW 100th Street. These were added because of their safety record and efficiency in moving traffic.
This video explains why the city is choosing to construct roundabouts on some city streets.

This quick video has the top four tips on how to drive roundabouts.

View this brochure (PDF) to learn how to navigate a roundabout.

The U.S. Department of Transportation put together this video to show why modern roundabouts are a good, safe choice for many roadways.

Studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show that roundabouts provide a:
  • 90 percent reduction in fatal crashes;
  • 76 percent reduction in injury crashes;
  • 30 to 40 percent reduction in pedestrian crashes; and
  • 10 percent reduction in bicycle crashes
Click here to learn more about other Iowa communities that are choosing to construct roundabouts.