Elbert County hears engineers on roundabout design, trade-offs for rural roads

At a meeting of the Elbert County Board of County Commissioners, Kimley‑Horn engineers gave a technical briefing on modern roundabout design and how the intersections might function on county roads, particularly where subdivisions or new county roads could add roundabout proposals.

The presentation aimed to give commissioners and staff a common technical foundation so the county can better judge future development proposals that include roundabouts. Kimley‑Horn traffic engineer Evan Gomez said modern roundabouts create deflection on approach and use yield control to reduce speeds and severe-angle crashes. "Roundabouts are designed to fall within this, you know, within the 25 and 30 mile threshold. That's where you're going to see much of the safety value," Gomez said.

Why it matters: Elbert County has long, rural roads used by large trucks, horse trailers and emergency vehicles; county leaders said design choices such as mountable truck aprons, curb heights and splitter islands will determine whether roundabouts can be made to work safely in that context. Commissioners also raised operational concerns specific to the county, including snow removal on ditch‑drainage roads and the ability of school buses and fire apparatus to navigate roundabouts without relying on the truck apron.

What the engineers said - Modern roundabouts rely on approach deflection (left offset) and yield control rather than full stop control, which can reduce emissions, eliminate platoons of…