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It may not come right away, but big change may be in store for a busy intersection in Southwest Volusia.
Transportation planners are floating the idea of a roundabout for the intersection of U.S. Highway 17-92 and Enterprise Road in Orange City.
Orange City Development Services Director Becky Mendez said the Florida Department of Transportation has studied pedestrian safety along the segment of U.S. 17-92 between Enterprise Road and New York Avenue in Orange City, and another study is underway that may recommend the state agency “convert the entire intersection to a roundabout.”
“We’re expecting the funding results by August,” Mendez said.
She said the FDOT may request funding from the Federal Highway Administration for the advanced study.
An August 2018 study commissioned by the River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization — formerly known as the Metropolitan Planning Organization — examined the intersection of U.S. 17-92 and Enterprise Road and the 1.16-mile segment of Enterprise southward to Florida Avenue.
That analysis found 326 vehicle accidents in the years between 2012 and 2016. Two people were killed in the crashes, and 139 others were injured.
The January 2018 pedestrian-safety study conducted for the FDOT found “there were 41 bicyclist and pedestrian crashes reported in the study area” along U.S. 17-92 between Enterprise Road and New York Avenue. Four people lost their lives, and 38 others were injured.
That study, done by Traffic Engineering Data Solutions Inc., a DeBary firm, recommended “installing marked crosswalks at public side streets, crosswalk relocation at the Enterprise Road intersection, installing connecting sidewalk from US 17/92 to three (3) side street sidewalks” and placing “overhead street lighting on US 17/92 from Enterprise Road to Rhode Island Boulevard.”
Mendez said she does not know the estimated cost of the study possibly leading up to the conversion of the Y-shaped intersection to a roundabout. Nor are costs available for the engineering, the acquisition of right of way — if needed — and actual construction.
