Many students have probably noticed construction going on in front of the entrance to Alamo Plaza along Danville Blvd. for the past couple of years. All of the work of adding curb extensions, curb ramps, and the rest of the roundabout has been completed. The community of Alamo decided to build a roundabout due to multiple crashes that occurred along the strip of Danville Boulevard that separates the Alamo Plaza shopping center from the CVS shopping center. Multiple cars enter and exit both shopping centers onto Danville Blvd. daily.  

     A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety indicates that, “Intersections in the United States converted from traffic signals or stop signs to roundabouts have found reductions in injury crashes of 72-80 percent and reductions in all crashes of 35-47 percent.” 

     The idea of a roundabout was brought up first by the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors,  in 2013. Research done by the Contra Costa Investigations committee found that this area in Alamo has twice the amount of crashes than any other area in Contra Costa County. 

     However, before the roundabout construction began, there was a lot of dissent among the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors. ContraCostaCounty.gov states that, “the project cost $4.3 million, which many members of the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors wished would be spent on other projects such as more parking spaces in places like Livorna Park.”

     Nonetheless, the board decided to make the idea a reality, and the construction of the roundabout is almost complete.

     “The roundabout is much more convenient; it makes me feel safer when I am driving on that road,” senior Siya Dixit said. 

     Teacher Melissa Trisko stated that, “It seems more efficient; I can’t wait until the construction is over.”