By Anne Levin

The summer-long project to install a traffic-calming roundabout on Rosedale Road at General Johnson Drive and Greenway Meadows has been completed, and the road is now reopened. Instead of whizzing through the intersection, drivers now have to negotiate a circular pattern that requires them to slow down.

With Johnson Park Elementary School located near the roundabout, the project was finished in time for the beginning of the school year. Travel lane widths were reduced to 11 feet on Rosedale Road approaches, and the speed limit was lowered from 45 to 35 miles per hour between Elm and Province Line roads. In the school zone, the speed limit was kept at 25 miles per hour.

The municipality needed cooperation from Mercer County before beginning the project, because Rosedale is a county road. Prior to starting construction this past June, the municipality and the county held a public information event to provide information and gather local input.

Johnson Park Elementary School and Greenway Meadows Park officials were also consulted during the design process.

Following numerous concerns about safety voiced by neighborhood residents, a study was launched by Mercer County earlier this year. In addition to schoolchildren, the intersection is also used by bicyclists and pedestrians. Just over a year ago, elderly resident Pinghua Xu was struck and killed by a Lexus SUV while trying to cross Rosedale Road, even though he had activated the pedestrian crossing light.

The county has installed rapid flashing beacons on both Rosedale Road approaches to increase driver awareness of pedestrian crossings. County officials collaborated with Safe Routes to School Program coordinators during the design phase. As a result, rumble strips and pavement markings reading “school ahead” were included.