33rd Street & Sheridan Boulevard Roundabout

Following dozens of injury and property damage crashes in a short amount of time, the City of Lincoln decided that an intersection of two arterials needed to be improved. Improvements to the intersection would move traffic through it more smoothly and safely and minimize crashes, particularly involving turning vehicles. An evaluation of several alternative improvements resulted in a modern roundabout, which would become the first of its kind for arterial streets in Lincoln.

The design process was a cooperative effort between the City of Lincoln and Benesch with heavy input from local citizens. The result was an elliptically shaped roundabout that uses splitter islands, narrow lane widths, landscaping that provides a tunneling effect, and pedestrian crossing points behind the point of vehicle entry into the roundabout to move traffic smoothly, safely and efficiently.

The removal of wooden poles, traffic signals and overhead wires enhanced intersection aesthetics in an area of Lincoln well known for the attractiveness of its boulevard, homes and churches.

Since the construction of the roundabout, the intersection has functioned smoothly and has experienced far fewer crashes (with much less severity) than would have been expected had its configuration not been changed.