HOUSTON – A problematic roundabout in Houston’s Northside will be demolished just one year after its construction, following numerous crashes and safety concerns.
The intersection at Irvington Boulevard and Patton Street has become notorious for vehicles, particularly trucks, crashing into the circular traffic feature or mounting its curbs.
Security camera footage from the area shows multiple incidents of vehicles colliding with the roundabout, with some being launched airborne upon impact.
“Several members of the community contacted Mayor Whitmire directly and requested the change because the roundabout is unsafe, with vehicles driving across or hitting it and causing damage,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office.
“It’s inconvenient. It’s a hassle to drive in, it’s a hassle to drive out,” says Roxana Collazo, owner of Rosegreen Florist, whose shop sits at the corner of the troubled intersection.
“We have plenty of videos of them hitting the curbs and very close calls to pedestrians,” she said.
Safety concerns drive change
Houston Public Works Director Randy Macchi explained the decision to remove the roundabout in a written response to our questions.
“Many drivers can be seen not using the roundabout in a safe and efficient manner. Replacing the roundabout with a traffic signal creates a simplified intersection design that is therefore safer for drivers at this location,” he said.
Despite this particular failure, the city isn’t abandoning roundabouts altogether.
“This is a one-off situation,” Macchi emphasized. “The City of Houston is dedicated to safety and efficiency in managing traffic; if solid engineering judgement determines that a roundabout is the necessary solution at a particular intersection, then a roundabout will be installed.”
Spending your money
The financial impact of the failed traffic experiment continues to grow:
- Initial roundabout construction (2024): Approximately $400,000 (installed by TxDOT)
- Roundabout removal design: $34,679
- Estimated removal construction cost: $200,000
- New traffic signal design: $41,237.80
- Construction costs for new signals: Yet to be determined
The total cost to taxpayers already exceeds $675,000, with additional expenses expected once the traffic signal construction costs are finalized.
The city plans to begin removing the roundabout on December 1, with the project expected to take approximately 90 days to complete.
This means more disruption for local businesses that have already weathered significant construction impacts.
Another construction project
The continuous construction has taken its toll on nearby businesses.
“It’s really impacting our clientele. It’s slowing it down by a lot and you know we’re just trying to stay afloat basically,” Collazo explains.
The evidence of the roundabout’s failure is scattered across the intersection, a collection of vehicle parts and even abandoned license plates from drivers who hit the structure with significant force.
“Let’s stop wasting taxpayers money and get one solution, get it done,” Collazo said.