Ogle County residents on Tuesday, Nov. 18, were able to get a glimpse at the Illinois Department of Transportation’s plans regarding a proposed roundabout for the state Route 251 and state Route 64 intersection north of Rochelle.

The plans were shared Tuesday night during a public online meeting led by IDOT Program Development Engineer Michael Kuehn, IDOT Project Manager and Geometrics Engineer Rob Bates, and Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc. Project Manager Andrew Schlichting.

IDOT has undertaken a preliminary engineering and environmental study of the intersection to examine suitable traffic control alternatives that address the safety and mobility of traffic currently experienced at the intersection.

“This intersection has been a safety concern for some time,” Schlichting said. “The recent restriping step is a temporary step to try to improve safety until we can work through the entire process and get a more permanent solution implemented. IDOT is studying this intersection because of the crash history. This intersection has seen twice the rate of injury crashes statewide. It’s the combination of two high-speed routes and right-angle crashes that are the cause of injuries.”

The intersection is currently a four-way stop. Illinois Route 251 was previously four lanes at the intersection before the recent restriping project reduced the lanes to two.

The proposal for the intersection is a modern roundabout with a 20-foot-wide circulating single lane. The center of the roundabout and long splitter islands would deflect entering vehicles approaching the roundabout.

A 12-foot-wide concrete truck apron, located just outside of the central island, is proposed. The area would accommodate large trucks, farm equipment and emergency vehicles, providing them with an additional area to maneuver through the circle. Entering vehicles would yield to traffic circulating counterclockwise in the circle. Lighting around the roundabout would be installed. Each entry to the roundabout will have a yield sign.

Phase two of the project will involve preparing contract bid plans and phase three would be construction. All three phases currently are funded. The total project is estimated to cost $2.05 million, with the bid for the work to be awarded in November 2026. Construction would begin in the spring of 2027 and be completed by the end of summer 2027. The project could take shorter or longer depending on whether traffic is allowed through the area or a detour is put into place.

Illinois Route 251 and Illinois Route 64 carry about 5,000 vehicles per day. Due to crash concerns, rumble strips and flashers were installed at the intersection in the past before the recent restriping.

The intersection saw 26 crashes, 13 injuries and one death from 2015 to 2024. It saw 13 crashes, five injuries and one death from 2020-2024, the meeting’s presentation said.

Sixty-one percent of the total crashes were angle crashes; 62% of the accidents were property damage, 15% were possible injury, 15% were non-incapacitating injury and 8% were fatal.

Schlichting said potentially installing signals at the intersection would not improve safety the way a roundabout would. Roundabouts result in an 82% reduction in fatal and injury crashes over a traffic signal, a Federal Highway Administration study cited during the meeting said.

“We understand that people have concerns about roundabouts being unnecessary or confusing,” Schlichting said. “Their potential for saving lives is just too significant to ignore.”

The proposed roundabout would be approximately 150 feet in diameter. The narrowest part between two curbs anywhere on the roundabout would be 24 feet, the width of two lanes on the highway, Schlichting said. The meeting showed a concept video of semi trucks and farm equipment moving through the intersection.

IDOT has found no potential impacts of the change so far that would delay the project. IDOT will need to purchase some private property for right of way for the roundabout, less than one acre.

IDOT is evaluating potential detours or traffic through the construction. Illinois Route 251 traffic would be detoured to Interstate 39, and Illinois Route 64 traffic would likely be detoured to Illinois Route 72.

With a full closure, the construction would take two months. With traffic during construction, it would likely take all of summer 2027. Construction would be done in the summer with spring planting and fall harvest operations in mind.