Roundabout at Bonin Road & LA 92

• Client

  City of Youngsville

• Division

  Engineering

• Scope

  Roadway Design, Roundabout, Construction Management

• Completion

  2011

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the City of Youngsville commissioned Fenstermaker to establish a roundabout at the intersection of Bonin Road and LA 92, which has a history of accidents. The site also struggled with congestion and was considered geometrically inefficient. Fenstermaker and the City of Youngsville were instrumental in coordinating the project and urging the local Metropolitan Planning Organization to obtain ARRA funding for this improvement. As a stimulus plan, ARRA requires the proposed project to begin construction within a few months to stimulate the economy. The design aspects and right-of-way acquisitions were fast tracked to accommodate this goal.

Fenstermaker was able to manage the project from inception to construction in less than six months. Recently, Lafayette has been recognized as a leader in promoting roundabouts, which are considered to be the safest, most efficient type of intersection by traffic experts. Besides alleviating congestion by creating an uninterrupted conduit, roundabouts are prominent visually and provide a controlled environment. Compared to a standard signaled or non-signaled intersection, roundabouts drastically reduce the number of potential crash conflict points, specifically head-on collisions. As an added bonus, these structures are inexpensive to actualize.

Youngsville now owns four roundabouts in a three-mile stretch from Verot School Road to LA 89. Counting the roundabouts at Chemin Metairie, Bonin Road & LA 92, and downtown Youngsville, Fenstermaker has been directly involved in 75% of these progressive intersections. Fenstermaker was committed to expediting project timelines, raising the industry standard, and keeping the state proactive when it comes to these types of intersection improvements.