In 2023, Simcoe Country undertook the conversion of the four-leg intersection of County Road 56 and County Road 21 into a roundabout to improve traffic flows on the two roads and enhance safety through the improvement of sightlines.
The design achieved the complete reconfiguration of the intersection on two arterial roads that run through environmentally sensitive lands. The project team balanced a complex and challenging set of site conditions through an innovative design that was adaptively implemented during construction. To meet the zero-excess-soil goal for the project, the design reused on site all of the excess soil that was generated by the reconfiguration and adjustment of road grades. As well, the project team adapted the design to localized structural inadequacies in the soil through selective use of a geogrid that better distributes loads on the roadway. What’s more, the team was able to take advantage of permeable soils at the site in the implementation of an innovative stormwater management solution that recharges the groundwater table with stormwater runoff rather than directing flows off site to a receiving body.
An equally important goal of the project was achievement of the traffic-flow and safety improvements without shutting down the roadways or affecting access to private or municipal properties. An effective, flexible traffic management plan greatly reduced impacts on the community during construction and maintained continuous access to private residences and the Township of Essa’s maintenance yard.