Hoyle Tanner recently attended an oversized vehicle drive-through demonstration at the North-South Road / Hemlock Lane roundabout in North Conway, New Hampshire with the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and Town of Conway Department of Public Works. This demonstration was intended to showcase the needs of large vehicles as they traverse circular intersections with a goal of informing future state and local designs. As can be seen in the video below, this massive vehicle at nearly 80-feet-long requires a lot of operating space! Although not the typical truck that would utilize the intersection, accommodations for big trucks need to be considered (driving over the brick apron is per design), while at the same time minimizing travel speeds through the roundabout in order to recognize the reduction in crashes and crash severity that they can provide.
It’s important for our professionals to attend regular showcases like this to continually improve our knowledge and capabilities to ensure our projects success. Specific lessons learned through this demonstration include proper sizing of the circulatory roadway and truck apron, the type of curbing utilized (vertical, beveled or rounded), sign positioning and entrance and exit widths. These observations will be instrumental in fine tuning the safe and efficiently operating roundabouts that Hoyle Tanner is currently designing, while ensuring accommodation for all roadway users.
Special thanks to Gordon T. Burke & Sons, Inc. and Rotten Rock Hardscaping and Tree Service, Inc. for providing the equipment and drivers who skillfully navigated the intersection!
