The first test of the new school year in Granville will come when drivers come face to face with the village’s first roundabout, which Village Manager Herb Koehler said will be fully functional by the time classes begin on Wednesday, Aug. 21.
The $2.1 million roundabout at the intersection of N. Pearl (Ohio Rt. 661) and New Burg streets has been underway since school let out in June. During the summer construction period, there has been no access from Pearl to New Burg, which carries traffic to three of Granville’s four school buildings – the intermediate school and the high school-middle school complex.
New students and those in grades 7, 8 and 9 attending orientation this week will need to take the detour from Burg Street to get to the school buildings on New Burg.
In addition to New Burg being closed at Pearl, traffic on Pearl has been limited to one lane during the summer.
The entire intersection will be closed for paving on the night of Sunday, Aug. 18, Koehler said on Aug. 13.
Soon after, the roundabout with single lanes in each direction will open for traffic on Pearl and New Burg.
While the roadway will be fully open for traffic, work will continue around the intersection as construction crews finish landscaping, paint stripes and edge lines on the pavement, and install signage, Koehler said.
While some residents have expressed angst about navigating the roundabout, Koehler said most adults have experienced them already in neighboring cities, including New Albany and Newark, where roundabouts are in use on Courthouse Square and on Cherry Valley Road.
“I’m a little more concerned about new drivers who will be driving to school,” he said, but he noted that most driver education programs teach teenagers how to navigate roundabouts.
And for anyone who needs a tutorial, Granville plans to post a link to an Ohio Department of Transportation video that explains best practices for drivers traveling through a roundabout.
Alan Miller writes for write for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.