ST. MARTINVILLE, La. (KLFY) – DOTD contractors are working on a $3.07 million roundabout in St. Martin Parish. The roundabout is being built at LA 31 and LA 92 just outside the city of St. Martinville.

Some drivers think it will help the traffic flow.

“I think it’s going to really help out the town. It’s going to make the traffic flow real good,” said Lupe Gonzales of St. Martinville.

“It’s clogged up with the traffic with the lights and everything so a roundabout will help things go by faster you know so that would be good look,” said Joseph Marshall of Loreauville.

But other drivers disagree.

“I honestly don’t like roundabouts,” said Destiny Steele of Iota. “It’s confusing and I don’t really… I like going straight.”

Crews have already removed a traffic light from the intersection to make way for the roundabout.

The DOTD said roundabouts force drivers to slow down. They’re also meant to reduce the number of right angle or T-bone crashes.

“So you reduce that really high speed, right angle crash, which are severe. You eliminate a lot of injuries and you eliminate the fatalities there,” said DOTD District Administrator Bill Oliver.

“We have not had a severe accident at a roundabout since we’ve put all of them in place.”

The roundabout is going up in a rural area. Oliver said some drivers have a tendency to speed down rural highways… which can lead to serious wrecks.

“When you get a low volume signal where there’s not a lot of traffic people tend to then sometimes ignore the signal or you get more chances that people will run it,” Oliver said.

The DOTD said drivers can expect occasional lane closures – with delays of 5 to 10 minutes. Crews will be working between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. 

The roundabout is expected to be completed this October.