The U.S. state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

at one point had a total of 101

traffic circle A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

s, 44 of which were part of

state roads State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

. However, the number has shrunk as traffic circles have been phased out by the

New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transport ...

. In the 1920s and 1930s, New Jersey felt that traffic circles were an efficient way for moving traffic through three or more intersecting roads. Built in 1925, the first traffic circle in New Jersey was the Airport Circle in Pennsauken. Many of these interchanges are rotaries in design, as opposed to the more successful modern

roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

. As suburban and rural populations grew New Jersey's traffic circles became outdated. The increased number of drivers on the roads resulted in traffic circles being more likely to hinder traffic than help it. Increased number of vehicles and faster traffic speeds made traffic circles more dangerous and

accidents An accident is an unintended, normally unwanted event that was not deliberately caused by humans. The term ''accident'' implies that the event may have been caused by unrecognized or unaddressed risks. Many researchers, insurers and attorneys w ...

common. Many traffic circles became notorious for having frequent accidents and being confusing, especially for non-locals.http://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen/bergen_safety/164195466_Road_Warrior__A_silver_bullet_for_ensuring_safety__way_to__manage__traffic_.html?c=y&page=1 Starting around the 1970s, the New Jersey Department of Transportation began phasing out traffic circles. Common methods of eliminating traffic circles are building a road through the circle, adding

traffic light Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – also known as robots in South Africa, Zambia, and Namibia – are signaling devices positioned at intersection (road), road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order t ...

s, and the use of

grade separation In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights ( grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tr ...

. Modified traffic circles are intersections where parts or all of the original circle still exist as a major part of the intersection.

List

References

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External links

nj.com gallery of traffic circles

Traffic circles in New Jersey The U.S. state of New Jersey at one point had a total of 101 traffic circles, 44 of which were part of State highway, state roads. However, the number has shrunk as traffic circles have been phased out by the New Jersey Department of Transporta ...