This SC roundabout has dozens of accidents each year. Here’s how DOT plans to fix it

Highway engineers say statistics bear out their belief that roundabouts, rather than traditional intersections, are safer, reduce delays and contribute to better air quality.

And then there’s Hearon Circle.

Now a relic built in 1954, it was named for Charles O. Hearon, who was considered a pioneer in highway development and was a member of the very first South Carolina State Highway Commission from 1917 until 1936. He served as chairman for five of those years.

The Spartanburg traffic circle has 11 ways to get on and off, rather than a more traditional eight connecting one road to another. Not only that but the circle is bisected by an Interstate 85 Business bridge.

There are also many fast food restaurants along the route and an industrial bakery.

Motorists consider it a nightmare.

“We have experienced one person out of town coming the wrong way,” Spartanburg resident Curtis Baldwin told television station WSPA.

Another said slow down.

“If you got to be a little late for work that’s the best thing than causing a wreck and everything gets piled up because a lot of people travel this way and it gets backed up and cause a whole discombobulation,” Spartanburg resident David Carter told the station.

Enter the South Carolina Department of Transportation with a fix. Engineers have come up with a preliminary plan to close off two of the roads leading to the roundabout.

The first step was a presentation to the public in which 50 or so people showed up to see the new design.

Comments are being accepted until Sept. 6 using this link, emailing BodnerAC@scdot.org or by sending a letter to Adam Bodner from the South Carolina Department of Transportation at P.O Box 191, Columbia SC, 29202-0191.

National studies show roundabouts reduce total crashes by 35%, injury crashes by 75%, pedestrian crashes by 40% and fatal crashes by 90%.

Hearon Circle, from Jan. 1, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2020, had 1,546 crashes with 206 (13%) resulting in injury. Rear end crashes accounted for nearly 80%.

“The Spartanburg Area Transportation Study identified this area for improvement due to the significant congestion and history of frequent crashes, said Hannah Robinson, the media relations manager for DOT. “This proposed project aims to close and reconfigure various approaches to Hearon Circle to improve the efficiency and safety.”

The Transportation Department did not provide a cost estimate for the project, which likely won’t be built until 2026.

The department hired the engineering firm Stantec, headquartered in Edmonton, Canada, to analyze and evaluate safety and traffic conditions and determine what improvements need to be made.