I Survived the Roswell Roundabout, Sort Of

I travel on Grimes Bridge Road almost every day – to get to the Roswell Library, my husband’s office, CVS Pharmacy, restaurants and any number of destinations in the city. Recently, there has been a flurry of construction activity (what else is new?) around the Grimes Bridge/Norcross Street/Warsaw Road intersection. It resulted in some delays but overall, I thought it was well managed. I also noted that the west side of the Norcross Road/Grimes Bridge intersection would be closed May 11 and 12. What’s up with that?

“They’re building a new traffic circle,” my husband said.

“A what?”

“A roundabout.”

I’ve driven on roundabouts, but always as a passenger and let me tell you, they look complicated. I saw one in Marlton, New Jersey, where my husband used to live. There’s one in Ponte Vedra Beach (where the Players Club tournament is now taking place) and where my sister lives. There are roundabouts in Bermuda and Ireland, but try to find your way around one of those driving on the wrong side of the road. The experience will give you vertigo, and, like being caught in a black hole or a vortex, you will wonder if you’ll ever come out the other side.

I thought I’d better avoid this traffic circle at all costs. But I got a call from the Roswell Library yesterday (the Roswell Library is like my Cheers, everybody there knows my name) that a book I have on hold is ready to be picked up. I hope “Bel-Air Dead,” by Stuart Woods is worth it. So, being the book lover that I am and after considering an alternate route to get to the library, I decided to give it a try, even though the project is not yet complete and the intersection will be under construction for several more weeks. Since a traffic alert in the Cone Zone on the City of Roswell Web site said that the roundabout is fully functional and despite the fact that it’s Friday the 13, I thought I’d take my chances.

What I want to know is why does Roswell need a roundabout? The website said this is the city’s first roundabout. They call it a five-leg roundabout (how many legs do we really need?) and say it “will allow the removal of the traffic signal and allow traffic to move freely through the intersection.”

This project reminded me of the Oxbo Road Bridge they built at the intersection of (you guessed it) Grimes Bridge Road and Oxbo Road to replace what seemed to me like a little footbridge over Hog Wallow Creek. Almost two years later (at least it seemed that long) I went to see what all the excitement was about. Lo and behold, they had built a replica of the San Francisco Bay Bridge, complete with footlights. At the time I thought it was overkill, but now I kind of like that bridge. It also brought to mind the time I drove by Alpharetta Street one day in the fall when the cover of the leaves was gone and suddenly there was the new Roswell City Hall building. I had no idea it was going up and it looked to me more like the Taj Mahal. Roswell is a growing city and I guess we needed these improvements, but I’m just saying.

Back to the roundabout. Well, here goes. Yikes, it sounds dangerous, especially in a state where “WRONG WAY” signs are more plentiful than the state bird, whatever that is.

Well I just got back from my “adventure.” I got to the intersection in question and it was a mess. There were a lot of people directing traffic, new yield signs and signs that said "new traffic pattern," but I couldn’t turn left to get to the library at Norcross Street so I had to take a detour to Warsaw and on to Holcomb Bridge Road and rather than guess whether I could have made a left at Grimes Bridge to get back to the library (it turns out I could have) I went all the way around on Holcomb Bridge Road and made a left on Alpharetta Highway to get to Norcross Street.

On my return, after being directed to slow down, I was able to make a right turn on Grimes Bridge to get back home. So, it turns out I only went on half of the roundabout. It’s shaping up, but I would recommend you STAY AWAY until construction is complete. Tune in later to read about my experience once I actually use the finished traffic circle.  

I’d recommend going to the website to learn more about roundabouts and how they function. Here’s their advice: "Remember to keep right as you approach and enter the roundabout and yield to vehicles already in the roundabout. Pay close attention to signage in the area, slow down and be alert."

Maybe the city should print t-shirts that say, “I Survived the Roswell Roundabout.” What are your feelings about the roundabout? That’s my roundabout way of saying, I’d like to hear from you, so please leave a comment.