A busy intersection on Hilton Head Island is being replaced by a roundabout.
Town staff members are planning a roundabout at Mathews Drive and Marshland Road.
The intersection has become increasingly congested and dangerous during rush hour, according to town traffic engineer Darrin Shoemaker. It's not uncommon for a dozen cars on Marshland to wait to turn left onto Mathews, he said.
"It gets a little dicey trying to take a left there during peak traffic hours," Shoemaker said.
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He and other town engineers say the roundabout should ease congestion and reduce wrecks.
Two people have been injured and 14 accidents have taken place at the Mathews-Marshland intersection in the past four years, according to Shoemaker.
"Often when we put in a roundabout, the collision rate goes down to one or two a year," he said.
Work starts Jan. 5 and should be finished April 4, assistant town engineer Jennifer Lyle said.
Drivers seeking to turn left onto Marshland from Mathews or vice versa can expect to be re-routed through William Hilton Parkway for a two-week period during construction, she said.
The project will cost about $692,000 and be paid for with revenue from a special tax district.
The roundabout completes the town's recent makeover of roads in the Mathews Drive area.
In 2011, the town spent $814,000 to build bike paths and a roundabout at Beach City Road and Mathews Drive.
Earlier this year, it completed $775,000 to upgrade the narrow flood-prone side streets off Mathews Drive.
Follow reporter Dan Burley on Twitter at twitter.com/IPBG_Dan.
Related content:
- Work near Mathews Drive begins this week on Hilton Head , June 29, 2014
- Roundabout construction to divert traffic at Mathews and Beach City , Feb. 23, 2011
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