Traffic volumes on Plum Creek Parkway are expected to grow when the new section of the road between Miller Boulevard and Ridge Road opens later this year.

The connection is expected to elevate the prominence of the intersection of Plum Creek Boulevard and Gilbert Street, which currently is controlled by four-way stop signs.

That control method is expected to become ineffective as traffic volumes grow, which has led Town staff to start planning for the intersection's future.

Staff presented a plan to Town Council Tuesday to install a roundabout at the intersection within the next few years.

Council agreed staff should proceed with designing the roundabout. The purpose for beginning that work now is twofold: it will allow staff to know what land will need to be acquired to build the roundabout and also will allow construction to commence quickly once funding is in place.

The roundabout will be similar to the one the Town opened last year at Ridge Road and Enderud Boulevard. It will be constructed to accommodate two lanes of traffic. However, only one lane will be used until traffic volumes warrant the opening of the second lane.

It will have a diameter of about 180 feet - big enough to accommodate the largest semi-trailer trucks. The speed limit within the roundabout would be 20 mph.

Staff compared several factors of roundabouts and traffic signals before settling on a roundabout as the preferred option. Roundabouts were found to be a better option than traffic signals in terms of traffic flow, vehicle and pedestrian safety, environmental effects, aesthetics and lifetime cost. Both options were found to be equal when considering emergency response times, and traffic signals fared better in terms of initial cost and construction time.

The roundabout will cost about $675,000 to build and $700,000 over its 25-year lifetime as compared to a traffic signal's costs being $250,000 and $977,000, respectively. A traffic signal takes about two months to install and involves minimal disruptions to traffic while a roundabout takes about four months to build and requires more extensive work.

Town staff will hold an initial open house with area residents soon to present the plan for the roundabout. Watch for information on that meeting. Questions? Contact Town Traffic Engineering and Operations Manager Dan Sailer, 720-733-2470 or dsailer@CRgov.com.