A new roundabout at the intersection of Colebrook and Rocherty roads is expected to open to traffic this week in North Cornwall Township.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation provided an update on the $3.4 million plan in a statement Oct. 8 from PennDOT spokesman Dave Thompson.

Weather permitting, the contractor will deactivate temporary traffic signals on Monday to allow unrestricted traffic in both directions of Colebrook Road (Route 241) at the roundabout. Rocherty Road will remain closed at the intersection for several more weeks, however, at the end of which time all three legs of the intersection will be open to vehicles.

All work is expected to be completed by Oct. 29.

According to the release from PennDOT, the project also included the realignment of an S-curve on Route 241 between Creekside Drive and just north of Mill Road. That work was completed in May.

Pennsy Supply Inc. of Harrisburg has been the prime contractor on the project, which had a total price tag of $3,410,676.

This is the second roundabout to be built in Lebanon County. The first opened in 2011 on Route 117 at North Side Drive in South Londonderry Township.

Thompson previously told LebTown that roundabouts “face a lot of resistance when they’re proposed prior to being built,” but, he added, “I think that, once folks get used to them, most are generally okay with them. From my personal standpoint, I like the fact that they’re safer and allow traffic to flow much more efficiently through an intersection.”

According to traffic studies, roundabouts “offer improved safety over other types of intersections, primarily because roundabouts have fewer conflict points, slower speeds and easier decision-making,” Thompson said.

Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com online, calling 511 or using the 511PA app. The free service provides round-the-clock traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

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Tom has been a professional journalist for nearly four decades. In his spare time, he plays fiddle with the Irish band Fire in the Glen, and he reviews music, books and movies for Rambles.NET. He lives with his wife, Michelle, and has four children: Vinnie, Molly, Annabelle and Wolf.