Colonial Ave. Roundabout expected to open Thursday afternoon in Roanoke Co.

12:15 p.m.

Drivers in one Roanoke County neighborhood may be going round-and-round when they come home Thursday afternoon.

VDOT’s Jason Bond tells WSLS that workers plan to open the roundabout on Colonial Avenue at its intersection with Penn Forest Boulevard by 3:00 p.m.  Bond says construction crews need to put some finishing touches on the project before hand.

When I was out at the roundabout project a little after noon, construction equipment say idle and the roundabout was not open yet.

The project was delayed earlier this year by rain.

VDOT says studies have shown that roundabouts reduce deadly and harmful crashes up to 75%, due to drivers having to go slower as well as a smaller number of what VDOT calls “conflict points.“

VDOT also says roundabouts reduce traffic delays, as well as eliminate maintenance and electricity costs from traffic lights.