A Public Works staff member said the mini roundabout at the intersection of Riverwood Parkway and Generalwood Parkway in Greenbrier is substantially complete and will be fully operational before school starts Monday. The staff member said only punch-list items such as last-minute concrete work, permanent striping and final signage remain and that temporary construction barriers and signs will be removed by the end of the week.

Public Works staff outlined why the mini roundabout was chosen: a full-size roundabout would likely have cost about $3.5 million, which was outside available funding, while a surface-only mini roundabout could be built at a fraction of that cost. “Constructing a full sized roundabout at this intersection would likely cost upwards of 3 and a half million dollars. So we had to look at alternatives,” the Public Works staff member said. The staff member added, “we did it for under 20% of what it would have cost to construct a new completely full sized roundabout.”

Officials said the new configuration reduces potential vehicle conflict points at the intersection from 32 to eight, which they described as an immediate safety improvement. “Now that we have a roundabout configuration of this intersection, we’ve gone from 32 conflict points down to 8 conflict points,” the staff member said.

Public Works staff cautioned residents to allow time for the intersection to settle into normal patterns. The staff member noted that the first two weeks of the school year are typically the most congested because more parents drive children to school and recommended waiting until the third or fourth week to fully judge traffic operations. “I would ask that we don't jump to conclusions. Let's wait until that third, fourth week to see how well it's operating when the traffic volumes tend to die down a little bit,” the staff member said.

Drivers were urged to approach the intersection with caution because of increased pedestrian activity during school arrival and dismissal times. The staff member also encouraged motorists to allow extra travel time during the first days of school.

There was no motion or formal vote recorded during the presentation; the item was informational and described completed construction and remaining implementation tasks. The staff member indicated the project used a surface-only treatment rather than full reconstruction and described the choice as a cost-saving alternative rather than a change in policy or ordinance.

Public Works will monitor traffic operations during the early weeks of school and adjust signage or striping if necessary, the staff member said. No timeline for further changes or follow-up reports to the governing body was presented during the remarks.