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It has been a full year since the “turbo roundabout” at the intersection of Highway 25 and Highway 156 near Hollister was fully completed, forever changing the intersection of the two highways.
The turbo roundabout, uniquely designed for four-lane highways, is the first of its kind in California and the second in the US. Its opening was met with mixed feelings among San Benito County residents, with many posting negative comments to social media sites the minute the announcement about the project was made.
Dana Brinkerhoff posted the following succinct comment on BenitoLink’s Facebook page in July, 2020: “Caltrans has lost its marbles.” One year later, Angela Maria posted this: “A roundabout at the intersection will cause more accidents and delays than the traffic light,” and “that is the craziest idea I ever heard. It’s going to be a total mess.”
So how has it really been with the roundabout open for a year? How many accidents have happened at the site since its completion in February 2024?
According to raw data from UC Berkeley’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS), as of December 2024—the last month for which statistics are available—there have been 11 reported crashes; there were 12 in 2023, and seven in 2022.
There is evidence that the turbo roundabout has decreased the number of road casualties at the location. Of the 11 incidents in 2024, there were 12 injuries and no fatalities reported. In 2023 there were 21 injuries and one fatality, and in 2022, there were nine injuries and no fatalities.
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