Busy Morro Bay intersection to get a roundabout. It could cost $12 million, city says

A roundabout will be installed at one of Morro Bay’s busiest intersections.

On Tuesday, the Morro Bay City Council voted 3-2 to direct staff to start the process for designing a roundabout for the intersection of Main Street, Highway 1 and Highway 41.

Right now, the intersection features a stop sign with a flashing light.

City Council members Cyndee Edwards, Laurel Barton and Jen Ford supported the roundabout, saying that it’s better equipped to handle increases in traffic created by a growing population.

Morro Bay Mayor Carla Wixom and City Council member Zara Landrum voted against the project, arguing that traffic isn’t bad enough to justify funding a multi-million dollar roundabout.

“I don’t believe there’s congestion there that validates $12 million to alleviate it,” Wixom said. “I’ve lived there for 25 years, I drive that intersection every day, 363 days a year, twice a day. I took three kids to the high school for over seven years, and I’ve never had to wait more than a minute or two at that intersection.”

Also on Tuesday, the council directed staff to find more outside funding for the project, create educational materials on the roundabout for drivers and pedestrians, and cap city funding for the project at $2.5 million.

Why change Morro Bay intersection?

A total of 23 crashes have been recorded at the intersection over the past five years, according to GHD Inc. Consulting project manager John Rogers, whose company contracts with the city.

In contrast, the intersection of Morro Bay Boulevard and Quintana Road only saw nine collisions during the past five years, Rogers said. It’s a high-traffic area like the Main Street intersection, but it has a roundabout instead of a regular stop light or traffic signal.

Traffic backs up at the intersection of Main Street, Highway 1 and Highway 41 during peak commute hours for Morro Bay High School, Rogers said.

The city distributed a survey to ask Morro Bay residents if they avoid the intersection and why, Morro Bay Public Works Director Greg Kwolek said.

According to Kwolek, 138 survey respondents said they did not avoid the intersection, while 155 replied that they avoided the intersection.

Of the 155 people who steered clear the intersection, 122 said they avoided it because of traffic congestion, and 33 cited safety concerns, Kowlek said.

According to the survey, concerns about the intersection include congestion, aggressive drivers, inattentive pedestrians and confusion as to who has the right of way, Kwolek said.

City Council weighs 3 options for intersection

The City Council had three options to address the intersection: a roundabout, a double signal traffic light or making no change.

The roundabout is the most expensive option, with a price tag of $8 million to $12 million, according to Kwolek.

The traffic signal would have cost $4 million to $6 million, he said, while keeping the stop sign would have cost the city no money.

Rogers, however, said making no changes to the intersection could result in other community costs, such as longer wait times at the stop sign or more frequent collisions.

Edwards said she chose to support the roundabout because it is a safer option than the traffic signal, she said.

According to Edwards, the Morro Bay police and fire departments both said that roundabouts are safe, and the Public Works Advisory Board voted twice in support of the roundabout.

Additionally, the roundabout would reduce traffic congestion at the intersection and better support a growing population, Edwards said.

“We are having a larger capacity on the horizon with the opening of a Hampton Inn” and a housing project shepherded by the Housing Authority for the City of San Luis Obispo, Edwards said. “I feel that if we do this project, I’m looking a future traffic circulation within our community.”

If the city installs a traffic signal, Edwards said she’s concerned that the city will eventually have to upgrade to a roundabout to handle a larger population — which would cost the city even more money.

“A double signal seems too costly to put that in, in the long run we end up having to remove it,” Edwards said.

How will road project be funded?

The San Luis Obispo County Council of Governments pledged to contribute funding to either a roundabout or a traffic signal, Kwolek said, but would give more for a roundabout.

SLOCOG promised to allocate about $2.5 million in grants for the traffic signal and $5.9 million to $8.4 million in grants for the roundabout, he said.

The city of Morro Bay may also have access to $3 million in Caltrans funding for the roundabout, according to Kwolek.

Designing the project typically makes up about 10% of the total cost, Kwolek said, adding that the City Council will have the chance to approve the design.

If the city doesn’t receive enough grant funding to supplement city funds to build the roundabout, it won’t proceed with the project, he said.

“If our funding doesn’t cover the bids then we don’t start construction,” Kwolek said. “We either stop the project or we look for more funding.”

Are roundabouts safer?

According to Rogers, the roundabout would be safer for pedestrians than a traffic signal, as the average speed through a roundabout is about 15 mph, but the average speed through a green light is 40 mph.

“When you enter the roundabout, you slow down,” Rogers said.

According to national data, roundabouts reduce vehicle collisions by 33%, and pedestrian collisions are 40% lower at intersections with roundabouts instead of traffic signals, Rogers said.

The city will prioritize pedestrian safety while designing the roundabout, Kwolek said. This could include installing flashing lights alongside crosswalks, or hiring a crossing guard during peak traffic hours.

Morro Bay expects traffic to become more congested at the intersection as the city’s population increases.

A roundabout may be better equipped to handle the steady growth of traffic, Rogers said.

He pointed to two other SLO County intersections that are seeing more cars on the road, and the existing traffic signals aren’t doing enough to manage the flow of traffic.

The first is in Arroyo Grande at the intersection of Highway 101, Brisco Road and West Branch Street. The second is in Paso Robles at the interesection of Highway 101, Highway 46 and Ramada Drive.

Arroyo Grande and Paso Robles are looking for funding to upgrade the intersections with roundabouts to accommodate more traffic, Rogers said.

City Council member calls road project ‘reckless’

At Tuesday’s meeting, Landrum called the roundabout project “reckless,” as the city doesn’t yet know how much construction will cost.

The intersection is already safe with a stop sign, she said.

“I think roundabouts are great versus signals, but you’re still moving in a roundabout,” Landrum said. “Right now, how it’s set up, you come to a complete stop. I think that you are more engaged when you are at a complete stop.”

She recommended that the city use funding for designing the project to instead enhance pedestrian safety at the intersection with signage and restriping.

As for traffic congestion, Landrum urged drivers to be more patient.

“I just think we can all be a little bit more patient and realize that during those peak times if we happen to end up at that intersection, take a deep breath,” Landrum said. “Breathe, and realize that you live in Morro Bay and it’s all going to be okay.”

Wixom agreed.

“Waiting at the intersection for a minute or two is nothing compared to spending $12 million to alleviate that problem,” Wixom said.

If the city doesn’t receive outside grant funding for the project, she’s concerned that the council will pull money from the streets and public safety budget to compensate.

“Adding a roundabout with no guarantee for additional outside funding deeper indebts this community,” Wixom said. “Tearing up this intersection will disrupt the community for the next two or three years if not more, and cause harm to the businesses that we claim we support and the residents that are in that direct location.”

However, Edwards said that a roundabout is needed to handle the city’s future traffic needs.

“I am always looking at our community holistically,” Edwards said. “As I’m looking at this intersection, I’m seeing future capacity issues.”