Staff recommends roundabout at Glen Oaks and Ridge; council directs design work

City staff recommended that the council move forward with a roundabout at the Glen Oaks Drive and Ridge Road intersection, arguing the traffic control change would reduce crash severity and improve long‑term operations.

During a March 17 work session, a city presenter summarized a collision history covering the past decade and said "we've got 53 total crashes over this...period, 19 of those crashes involved injury." Staff pointed to a 2019 intersection control evaluation that ranked a roundabout as the preferred solution and noted roundabouts typically have fewer conflict points and lower operating costs than signals. "Staff's recommendation is a roundabout. We think it's the right solution," the presenter said.

Residents who spoke during public comment supported the roundabout. Alex Bannister, who said he runs a neighborhood Facebook group, urged the council to "please move forward with the safest option, that has been proven by the roundabout at Wilmeth." Stonebridge Ranch resident Bruce Cornbone described aerial footage showing driver compliance issues at the existing four‑way stop and said neighborhood survey responses included significant support for a roundabout, while also flagging pedestrian crossing near Glen Oaks Elementary as a concern.

Staff described tradeoffs: the roundabout design would likely cost about $2.5 million and require more construction time and some right‑of‑way work, while a traffic signal option was estimated around $850,000 and could be built faster. Staff estimated roughly six months to construct a roundabout (pending contractor input) and suggested a two‑stage contracting approach — initial design followed by a full design and utility relocation phase — to limit community impacts.

Council members questioned pedestrian safety, long‑term maintenance and how construction detours would be managed during school pickup times. Staff said roundabouts can be safer for pedestrians when properly designed and that the city would coordinate detours, utility relocations and outreach. Several council members said they wanted more detailed design visuals and public engagement before final approval; council direction given in the work session authorized staff to proceed with additional design and utility coordination work and to return with a recommended contract for future action.

Next steps: staff will pursue the two‑stage design and utility coordination approach, update cost and schedule estimates as design progresses and return to council with a contract recommendation.