Traffic Circles at Key Intersections? Middletown Must Decide

Proposals for traffic circles at two locations on West Main Road are moving forward in municipal planning discussions.

The Middletown Town Council is scheduled to meet Monday at 5 p.m. to discuss the proposal.

A copy of a presentation from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (DOT) to Middletown officials on Wednesday, June 22, is available to view in the image gallery at upper right.

The Town of Middletown's plans for redeveloping the former Navy Lodge parcel with the three adjacent municipal properties includes traffic control designs for two roundabouts on West Main Road at Coddington Highway and at Two-Mile Corner, where West and East Main roads meet.

The council met with RIDOT officials on Wednesday to discuss the proposal further, and the council ultimately will have the final say on whether to move forward with that portion of the plan. Meanwhile, the Middletown Planning Board will take a closer look at the overall redevelopment plan for the at a meeting July 13, which also includes designs for the two traffic circles.

town planners will accept public input about the overall project.

If the proposal gets approved, traffic lights on West Main Road would be replaced with roundabouts that would slow traffic to 20 to 25 miles per hour at the intersections of East Main Road and Coddington Highway, according to planning officials.