Explore pages of information on the City of Jackson's Engineering Department by clicking on your area of interest below.
The roundabout is located on the southwest side of the City of Jackson in front of the Middle School at Parkside. It was designed as a traffic calming measure to slow traffic going through the intersection of West Avenue and Fourth Street in the area of the Middle School, Ella Sharp Park and the Mehall Memorial Soccer Field. The roundabout is a traffic control method that allows traffic from separate streets to merge and proceed to destinations without the need for stop signs or traffic signals. Roundabouts utilize yield signs for control. The entering traffic yields to circulating traffic within the roundabout.
For more information about roundabouts, visit the Michigan Department of Transportation website.
Because roundabouts are relatively new in the U.S., many drivers are confused about the correct way to drive through them. All vehicles entering the roundabout must yield to the traffic in the roundabout. All traffic flows to the right. Follow the circle until you reach the street of your choice. If that street is not the first "leg", use the left lane until you are approaching your street. Then merge to the right lane to proceed and that street. Some examples are shown below.
Watch Video :: Two cars traveling south on Fourth Street. First car stays in the right lane and exits immediately to West Avenue. Second car in the left lane goes to center of roundabout, moving to the right lane as he approaches his exit onto S. Fourth Street.
Watch Video :: Car traveling east on West Avenue enters roundabout in the left lane and moves to center of roundabout. After passing Fourth Street, he moves to the right lane to exit onto N. Fourth Street. Second car coming from S. Fourth Street yields right-of-way to the car already in the roundabout.
Watch Video :: Two cars entering roundabout from S. Fourth Street. The car in the right lane will take the first exit onto N. Fourth. Car in left lane will travel in that lane until approaching exit onto West Avenue.
© City of Jackson, 2012
