In 2018, the Seminole City Council and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) agreed to move the route on Boren Boulevard and Broadway Avenue from a highway to a city street. ODOT gave the City of Seminole the road with new pavement that would last between four and 10 years and informed the city that it would cost $1.3 million to repair that road. The city knew that would be a new expense and wanted the road to last as long as possible.

According to ODOT’s research, the life span of a road is dependent upon many variables like weather, moisture, how it is built, and the weight that is on it. Weight on roads is a controllable factor that many cities control by putting out truck detour signs or weight limits on streets.

ODOT’s research states, “Overweight trucks cause an exponential increase in pavement deterioration. Every five percent increase in truck weight equals a 20 percent decrease in pavement life.”

After reviewing this information, the City of Seminole tried multiple ways to stop trucks from using Boren Boulevard. ODOT rerouted trucks to use U.S. Highway 377 and State Highway 9, and the Seminole Police Department patrolled the area. Despite the effort, overweight trucks continued to use Boren and Broadway.

The City of Seminole continued research on how to stretch the lifespan of the road and found that building a roundabout is a solution to the issue. Roundabouts steer away truck traffic due to the difficulty of the turn for them while the average vehicle can easily use them. City Council approved building a roundabout using capital improvement project (CIP) funds in 2019.

“We are excited to continue the renovation of Seminole. The first roundabout is the next step to renewing blighted areas. The dollars to pay for the roundabout are coming from a sales tax the citizens passed to do only ‘capital projects.’ Thus, the City Council has elected to proceed with the project as planned to extend the life Boren Boulevard by keeping truck traffic to a minimum,” stated City Manager Steve Saxon. “The goal of this roundabout is to spend $1.3 million repairing the road every 10 years without trucks instead of every four years with trucks,” said Saxon.

There are other benefits to a roundabout on a road other than deterring truck traffic to expand the life of the road. Studies show that roundabouts are safer than streetlights or stop signs. Roundabouts do not stop the flow of traffic and have less points of collision than an intersection, as seen in the graphic below. They also slow down the speed of traffic.