MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The work to finish a new roundabout that’s meant to increase safety and traffic flow was marked in a Thursday ceremony.

Caltrans hosted the event to officially mark the completion of the Highway 29 and Hartmann Road on Thursday morning, about a quarter mile from the roundabout at the corner of Highway 29 and Spruce Grove Road Extension, across from Arabian Lane.

Construction on the roundabout began in May 2018; it opened to traffic on June 3. Caltrans reported that it will officially take over the roundabout from the contractor, Ghilotti Construction, in February.

The project cost is reported at $8,614,000, Caltrans said.

The new roundabout’s design – which was inspired by the local flora and fauna and Pomo Indian basket designs – was created in collaboration with the Middletown Art Center and the Middletown Rancheria.

This is the third roundabout Caltrans has completed in Lake County and the fifth in District 1.

Caltrans’ other roundabouts are located at the junction of Highway 20 and the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff in Nice and the intersection of Highway 20 and 29 in Upper Lake. Another is under construction in Clearlake Oaks at the junction of Highway 20 and 53 and is expected to be completed in the spring.

The first roundabout in the county, in Lakeport, was a city project.

Caltrans District 1 Director Matthew Brady said that the intersection of Highway 29 and Hartmann Road had been subject to a lot of collisions before a stop sign was installed there in 2011.

Prior to that stop sign’s installation, the Hartmann Road intersection had a collision rate eight times higher than the statewide average for similar intersections, Caltrans said.

Brady said some of those collisions were “catastrophic.”

They included a fatal collision in 2011 that triggered temporary safety measures, including installation of a three-way stop sign until a permanent solution could be constructed.

Caltrans acquired funding which initiated the Hartmann Road roundabout project in 2012. The project included the installation of a full roundabout with lighting, sidewalks, crosswalks and improved drainage.

The agency pursued the use of a roundabout to increase traffic safety and to significantly reduce collisions.

It said roundabout benefits include lower travel speeds, reduced vehicle collisions, continuous traffic flow and no incentive to “beat the light” due to moving traffic, plus there are environmental benefits such as lessened noise due to efficient traffic flow, reduction in air pollution and reduced fuel consumption due to the elimination of idling vehicles compared to a stop or signalized intersection.

Brady said roundabouts require less maintenance, have low yearly operational costs and they don’t rely on electricity, which is particularly important in the wake of the recent public safety power shutoff.

Caltrans reported that annual average daily traffic is currently 11,700 vehicles per day. With the installation of the Hartmann Road Roundabout overall collisions are projected to be reduced by 35 percent with significant reductions in fatalities collisions by 89 percent and injury collisions by 76 percent.

“We can’t thank Caltrans enough for investing in our community,” District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon said at the ceremony.

He said the project shows that Middletown – the gateway into Lake County – is rebuilding in the wake of the wildland fires of the last several years.

He later told Lake County News later that he believes the roundabout will help with development in the south county.

Simon said that the roundabout has helped better manage the traffic associated with the rebuild. “We get to experience that every day.”

Lt. Randy England, commander of the Clear Lake Area office, said the CHP and Caltrans regularly meet and discuss safety needs. He said safety is the CHP’s primary concern and central to its mission.

England said the project is a good example of the CHP and Caltrans working together.

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