A roundabout — the circular traffic configuration that’s growing in popularity statewide — is in the works for a dangerous intersection northwest of Beaufort near Laurel Bay that’s seen crashes in the double-digits over the past four years.
Construction of the $2.5 million federally funded project by the South Carolina Department of Transportation at Laurel Bay Road and Stanley Farm Road is expected to begin in early 2025 and last for 18 months, the SCDOT says. SCDOT hopes to get going with right of way negotiations late this year.
Laurel Bay Road is a major road off of U.S. Highway 21 that leads to the Laurel Bay military housing complex tied to the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
That intersection was flagged for work and federal funding because of its high crash rate, SCDOT’s Keith Riddle said Tuesday.
In a recent four-year period, the intersection saw 19 crashes, 16 of which were right-angle crashes. Of the total, 10 caused injuries and one resulted in a fatality. Most of the crashes, the SCDOT noted, occurred during favorable conditions — during the day when it was not raining.
A traffic circle, says Riddle, will reduce the number of accidents. And the work qualified for federal funding because it will contribute to reducing fatal accidents, he added.
This is the proposed design of the roundabout SCDOT is planning to build at Laurel Bay and Stanley Farm roads.
A roundabout is a circular intersection in which traffic flows counterclockwise around a center island with no traffic signals or stop signs with approaches controlled with yield signs. Roundabouts are beginning to replace traditional intersections because they are safer and can enhance the operation of the intersection, Riddle said. The SCDOT’s Traffic Safety Office has installed 35 statewide with 20 more under development. At those locations, total crashes have been reduced by 60%. Injury reductions have been reduced by 79%. Fatal accidents were eliminated.
A traffic signal and all-way stop also were studied for the Laurel Bay-Stanley Farms intersection but it was determined that a roundabout would be the safest option because they are designed to reduce speeds at intersections which makes crashes less severe, Riddle said. Over a five-year period, roughly 27% of all fatal and serious injury crashes statewide occurred at an intersection, Riddle says.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation says the intersection of Stanley Farm Road and Laurel Bay Road has a high crash rate. It is planning to build a roundabout to reduce the number of injury and fatal crashes.
The roundabout at Laurel Bay Road and Stanley Farm Road will be a simple, single-lane design, the SCDOT says.
“This won’t look like the one going around Big Ben,” said Riddle, referring to the busy roundabout near London’s famous clock tower.
Laurel Bay is a major 2-lane road with a 55 mph speed limit used by 7,100 vehicles a day while Stanley Farm Road is a 2-lane local road used by 1,650 vehicles daily with 5% of its traffic large trucks.
The intersection came to SCDOT’s attention because of its higher than average crash rate, Riddle said.
The new roundabout will be similar to a roundabout the office was responsible for installing at the nearby Joe Frazier Road and Pine Grove Road in 2012, Riddle said. After it was installed, total crashes were reduced form 17 to 3 and injury crashes dropped from seven to one. Right-angle crashes were reduced form 14 to zero.
A third roundabout in northern Beaufort County is located at the intersection of Sams Point Road and Brickyard Point and Hally Hall roads on Lady’s Island. It was finished in 2017.
SCDOT is asking the Beaufort City Council for a resolution of support which is expected to be brought before the City Council at a future meeting. No objections were raised when it was discussed Tuesday during City Council work session. A portion of the traffic circle falls within the city limits. SCDOT also is working Beaufort County on the project.
