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Madera council directs staff to pursue roundabout at five‑leg Lake/4th/Central intersection
Summary
After a months‑long review, the Madera City Council voted unanimously Aug. 20 to direct staff to move forward with a single‑lane roundabout design at the Lake Street/4th Street/Central Avenue intersection, citing long‑term safety and traffic‑flow benefits despite higher construction cost estimates.
The Madera City Council voted unanimously Aug. 20 to direct staff to proceed with a single‑lane roundabout design for the five‑leg intersection at Lake Street, 4th Street and Central Avenue.
The decision follows an updated intersection control evaluation presented by Senior Civil Engineer Jonathan Grimajo and transportation consultant Ardavan of GHD. The study, based on 2024 traffic counts and 2045 projections, found that evening peak conditions at the intersection already produce excessive queuing and that traffic volumes are expected to grow roughly 20 percent by 2045. Ardavan told the council the roundabout would maintain a high level of service through the projection period while substantially reducing vehicle conflict points compared with a signalized intersection.
"The roundabout has also been designed to accommodate large trucks and buses with the truck apron," Ardavan said during the presentation, adding that the roundabout option would operate at LOS A in both peak periods through 2045. Grimajo highlighted a design change that cut anticipated right‑of‑way impacts dramatically: "GHD was able to optimize the roundabout layout design, to reduce this to about $16,500," he said, noting that the figure refers to land‑value estimates per square footage and does not include staff time or acquisition administration.
Consultants presented a cost comparison the council weighed: the traffic‑signal option was estimated at roughly $2.16 million for construction and associated roadway work; the roundabout was estimated at about $3.74 million. Staff noted the roundabout would remove roughly 40 parking spaces versus about 29 for the signalized alternative.
Council members pressed staff about construction detours and pedestrian crossing times. Ardavan said pedestrian crossings at a roundabout would generally be shorter because crossings are broken into single‑direction legs and the design closes the northeast 4th Street leg to simplify geometry.
Mayor Pro Tem Rodriguez moved to proceed with the roundabout design presented, arguing the long‑term safety and level‑of‑service benefits outweigh the higher initial construction cost. The motion passed unanimously.
