Roundabouts, which are simply modern versions of their primitive ancestors— traffic circles and rotaries—have safety, environmental, and cost-saving features superior to those of traditional intersections.

But implementing roundabout projects sometimes proves difficult, and it would be useful to know what makes for a successful roundabout project. Of course, all successful construction projects share some obvious characteristics: designers, contractors, tradespeople, suppliers and a host of other people must execute their jobs well if success is to be achieved.

But the present course focuses on identifying characteristics that are especially important for achieving successful roundabout projects. The process of identification will include a detailed discussion of the advantages roundabouts offer over traditional intersections and a review of roundabout projects that the U.S. Department of Transportation considered worthy of mention. 

This course is intended for civil and transportation engineers interested in promoting the use of roundabouts. 

This course is based on documents from the U.S. Department of Transportation Roundabout website, selected and organized into a single course document, with commentary added, by Mark Rossow.