If there’s one thing our area can collectively agree on, it’s our disdain for traffic. According to USA Today, Pennsylvania is ranked number six among the country’s worst roads by state and has statistically 32% poor to unfavorable roads. With all this ruckus about how dangerous and unkempt our roads have become, it’s a surprise that people in our local area have been decidedly opposed to the newly integrated roundabout plans.

From an objective standpoint, it’d be confusing as to why people are so annoyed. The purpose of a roundabout is to act as a much more smooth and sorted four-way intersection, which allows drivers to yield as opposed to stopping outright. Most notably in Europe, these roadway intersections have greatly benefited larger, more cramped cities and boroughs, but in America where roads are typically larger, it doesn’t seem quite feasible.

PennDOT’s supposed reasoning for the major restructuring project was to eliminate the typically large influx of traffic on Nanticoke’s Middle Road, as well as make student commutes to Luzerne County Community College easier. While the latter reason is mainly subjective, the former can be confirmed. Middle Road has seen significantly less traffic than usual, and residents living directly on the high-speed street should feel much safer now, without the abundance of traffic.

Overall, the project has gained heavy criticism from many people, but with all the benefits that come from these road redesigns, why would people be angry? That is quite simply because of the time it took to even begin the project, as well as the amount of roads that needed to be closed in order for the project to be completed. The roundabouts took over a year for completion, and even now, the project isn’t even finished. Five out of the six proposed roundabouts are finished, with one on the way still under progress. If you weren’t aware of why people had complained, then maybe the amount of time it’s taken should be an indicator.