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Wooster officials present "peanut" roundabout plan for Burbank–Winkler–Goldman intersection
Summary
City staff and consultants presented a proposed oblong ("peanut") roundabout to address recurring congestion and safety problems at the Burbank–Winkler–Goldman area, identifying a preferred design, an estimated $3.5–$4 million construction cost, a 2027 target for construction, and several outstanding property, parking and school-safety questions.
Wooster staff and their traffic consultant outlined a proposal to replace the closely spaced signalized intersections at Burbank, Winkler and Goldman with an oblong ("peanut") modern roundabout, describing the change as the safest and most efficient option after evaluating alternatives including added turn lanes and realignment.
The presentation, led by Joel (city presenter) and John Reisz, the city engineer, summarized safety and traffic studies cited by the state and national research bodies, described design features intended to accommodate buses, fire apparatus and school pedestrians, and put an initial construction target in 2027 with estimated costs of about $3.5 million to $4 million for the proposed roundabout.
Why it matters: city staff said recurring backups and frequent rear-end collisions between the two existing intersections cause delays, create emergency-response problems and will likely worsen as area development and school traffic increase. Staff cited crash- and delay-reduction data from agencies such as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Federal Highway Administration and noted that roundabouts dramatically reduce conflict points and severe crashes compared with conventional signalized intersections.
City staff described the features of the proposed design: raised central islands with paved truck aprons for large vehicles, shortened splitter islands to preserve driveway turns, pedestrian refuge areas at each leg, and reduced radii on legs that prohibit through-truck movements (to limit semi traffic on smaller streets). The consultants reported the roundabout alternative achieved A and B levels of service in traffic modeling, versus D or worse for the existing signalized configuration and for several signal-based realignment options.
Design and property impacts: the team described multiple iterations intended to reduce impacts to adjacent residential lots and county-owned park parking. Staff said they negotiated preliminary approval from the county to shift some geometry onto county land to reduce residential takings and that their preferred alignment aims to replace the 49 county parking spaces the design would remove. The city noted historically its share of completed roundabout projects has been small (about 2% of total project cost) and said it is exploring multiple funding sources, including updating the 2023 TIF area so TIF revenues could be used if development triggers make funds available.
School and pedestrian concerns: presenters said they coordinated with school officials during prior roundabout projects and that Wooster City Schools provided supportive feedback. City staff reported receiving a written statement from Wooster City School Superintendent Dave Tudor saying existing roundabouts in the city had not caused bus issues and that local police and school experience suggested the proposed roundabout could improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety. During questions, resident Anne Hausland Clark asked whether schools would fund extra crossing guards during construction or early operation; school-staff coordination and contractor traffic-control requirements were described as items the final design and construction specifications will address, but no funding commitment was made at the meeting.
Other community concerns raised: residents and council members asked about driveway encroachment, loss of mature trees and lawn areas, the paved truck aprons' proximity to private property, replacement parking for county fields, mailboxes and postal carrier stops, and whether delivery trucks stopping on the route would still cause blocks. Staff said mailbox moves are property-owner driven and the city would work with the post office when property owners request changes. Fire and emergency access was discussed; presenters said the design accommodates ladder trucks and buses using the truck apron and demonstrated to scale that fire apparatus could navigate the layout.
Schedule and next steps: staff said preliminary design began in spring 2024, preliminary construction plans are being finalized, and that right-of-way plans and acquisition authorization would follow. The city will pursue grants and TIF eligibility, finalize design, complete right-of-way acquisition, and then advertise for construction; staff described construction in 2027 as the tentative target to maximize summer work windows around school schedules. No formal council action or vote was taken at the presentation; staff described the meeting as informational and said further public meetings and an opportunity for additional questions will be scheduled.
Ending: City presenters said they would continue design revisions in response to property-owner concerns, finalize funding options and present updated plans at a later public meeting before seeking construction authorization.
