Grand Junction Engineering and Transportation Director Trent Prall said the two-lane roundabout stems from a plan developed for the Horizon Drive corridor in 2012 and 2013.

“This is all part of the long-term vision for the Horizon Drive Business District and the Horizon Drive corridor,” Prall said.

Prall said the City of Grand Junction has some safety concerns with cars turning left across traffic at that intersection.

“This intersection definitely had some safety concerns,” Prall said, noting roundabouts are statistically safer than traditional intersections.

Construction will start with signage before a temporary roundabout is constructed to keep traffic flowing through the area. The permanent roundabout will be built in the middle of the temporary roundabout so crews can do all the work at the same time, Prall said.

Cars drive though the intersection of Horizon Drive and G Road on April 3, just a few days before the construction of the roundabout in place of the current traffic light. The roundabout construction begins Monday. Larry Robinson/The Daily Sentinel

Business access will be maintained, although drivers looking to go west on G Road from 27½ Road (G Road begins on the other side of Horizon Drive) will at times need a detour, Prall said.

Construction should be complete in October, Prall said.

The project is being funded out of the city’s 2019 transportation capacity debt issuance. The city budgeted $4 million for the project in 2024. The city received a $1.5 million grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation to help fund the project.

Prall said it might take a little time for drivers to adjust to the new traffic pattern, but overall drivers should be able to move through the intersection easily.

Prall said the roundabout will help keep speeds in check while still efficiently moving traffic through the corridor.

“It definitely helps set the context for the corridor,” Prall said.