Since a roundabout was installed at a dangerous intersection in Gallia County, Ohio, the area has seen fewer crashes, an Ohio Department of Transportation report said.
The roundabout at the intersection of State Route 160 and 554 at Bidwell opened in 2021, officials said. Since then, the number of crashes per year has fallen by 50 percent. Prior to the roundabout the intersection saw an average of four crashes per year, 67 percent of which resulted in injuries. Between 2021 and 2025, the intersection has averaged two crashes per year, officials said, none of which have resulted in injuries.
“It’s our mission to provide a transportation system that is safe, and the roundabout in Gallia County is a prime example of that,” ODOT District 10 Deputy Director Rich Oster said. “The numbers don’t lie. A 50 percent reduction in crashes and 100 percent reduction in injury crashes is proof that roundabouts improve safety.”
Prior to constructing the roundabout ODOT worked to reduce the risk of crashes at the intersection through other means like flashing LED lights and stop signs, officials said, but the crash numbers didn’t improve. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has said roundabouts are a proven safety countermeasure and achieve crash reductions because they simply motorist decision making. Additionally, the roundabouts have fewer conflict points than traditional intersections. FHWA officials said when crashed do happen at roundabouts they tend to be less severe than those at traditional intersections.