A traffic rotary shaped like a dog bone? The first in PA could be built in Manchester Twp.
A "dog bone" traffic rotary was mentioned as a proposal to relieve congestion at a complicated intersection during the monthly Manchester Township supervisors meeting Tuesday.
Currently, the intersection of Church and Greenbriar roads doesn't line up and is controlled by two traffic lights. Greenbriar Road passes straight through from the north and south while navigating east and west on Church Road requires a quick turn and then a return to the original direction of travel.
There is often a backup of traffic heading westbound on Church Road at Greenbriar during rush hours.
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During the meeting, it was mentioned that land required for the continuous traffic flow device would come from the popular township park and that the township would need to replace the land acquired from Cousler by finding equal park land somewhere else.
Both byways are PennDOT-controlled roads.
According to PennDOT, a “dog bone” or “peanut” roundabout is typically implemented to connect an offset intersection. "The intersections that are not far enough away to treat independently, and too far apart to use a traditional roundabout," a PennDOT spokesperson said.
PennDOT is not aware of another roundabout of this type in Pennsylvania. However, there is an oval roundabout in Rochester, Beaver County.
Like a regular roundabout, traffic travels in one direction around the shape and each roadway accesses the circle or, in this case, the squashed oval shape to accommodate the offset roads with the least amount of land needed to be taken to complete the project.
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A roundabout is planned for a section of North George Street near Interstate 83 as part of the I-83 widening project, and that traffic solution is still in the running among proposals to address traffic at North George Street and Emig Road in Emigsville.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: 'Dog bone' rotary considered for Greenbriar and Church intersection
