LAFAYETTE, La. — Robley Dr. and E. Broussard Street intersection can be a pain for drivers.
"Making a left turn there takes forever," said one driver.
Another driver expressed how the intersection can be very annoying.
"When people are trying to turn left, they sometimes forget that there is a middle section to turn left, and then it blocks the people trying to turn right," said Taylor Usie.
"The intersection at E. Broussard and Robley is congested. Typically, left turns are the biggest problem in traffic engineering, so at this intersection, you have many left turns," said Warren Abadie, Lafayette's Director for Traffic, Roads and Bridges.
The city says the way to deal with those left turns is a roundabout.
"So roundabouts are one of the only things we can do that increases capacity over traditional intersection design. It makes it safer and more convenient because traditional intersections don't accommodate u-turns, which roundabouts do, so it kind of what I call the traffic no-brainer," said Abadie.
"I hope it doesn't cause too much of confusion. I know many people have trouble with the new roundabout that was put with the two lanes, but I guess we will see what happens," said Tasha Moody, a regular commuter.
Some people are a little apprehensive, but others are optimistic.
"I like roundabouts. I think it flows traffic well, and I like them better than a 4-way stop and obviously a red light," said Grant Lemoine.
Love them or hate them, construction on the 2.7 million dollar roundabout is expected to last 9 to 12 months, beginning in early 2024.
"We are not looking forward to that, but hopefully, it will help with the traffic," said Moody.
"It will suck for the moment, but it will be nice eventually," said Lemoine.
To read more about the project, click the link here: Geaux Lafayette.
