A motorist passes through the intersection at CR 250E and Pierceton Road, on Tuesday, Jan. 21, in Winona Lake, where the town plans to construct a roundabout. InkFreeNews photo by Kory Stoneburner-Betts.

WINONA LAKE — Roundabouts dominated discussion at the Winona Lake Town Council meeting, Tuesday night, Jan. 21.

The council approved an agreement for the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of CR 250E and Pierceton Road.

According to Winona Lake Town Manager Craig Allebach, the town plans to complete the project at CR 250E with Community Crossings funds from the Indiana Department of Transportation. The town has a $1 million cap of funding each year, said Allebach.

The CR 250E roundabout is estimated to cost “about $725,000,” Allebach said.

The funding agreement with Community Crossings for the roundabout at CR 250E and Pierceton Road will be a 75-25 match. The agreement totals $122,780 and covers “the cost of engineering services and right-of-way engineering,” said Allebach.

Construction on the CR 250E and Pierceton Road roundabout could “begin as early as this year,” Allebach said.

The town also discussed details on initial steps for a proposed roundabout at Packerton Road and Pierceton Road.

The council approved a feasibility study for the project. The study will cost $6,940. The study will measure road usage including traffic and accident data. Allebach hopes to use additional Community Crossings money for the feasibility study, but that isn’t a certainty, he said.

The Packerton Road and Pierceton Road roundabout is in the early stages among the several projects on the town’s slate. As a result, Allebach said the feasibility study may be pushed back to 2021.

While Allebach didn’t define a start date on construction, he projected sometime in 2021 or 2022.

“I’ve had people come to me individually and talk about that intersection,” said Council President Rick Swaim, said of people who support the idea of a roundabout at the Packerton Road and Pierceton Road intersection.

In related news, Allebach said construction on the roundabout at Winona Avenue and the Argonne Road probably won’t begin construction until early 2022, due to the timeline of funding. The funds for the project won’t become available until July 2021. The town could possibly begin construction in July 2021, he said, “but we probably wouldn’t be able to finish it by the end of the season.” As reported in a previous article, the Winona Avenue/Argonne Road roundabout project plans include extensive beautification efforts near the Argonne Road viaduct.

Allebach made a point to iterate the three roundabout projects won’t be under construction at once.  “We wouldn’t have more than one going at a time,” he said.

Plans for two more roundabouts come as the town prepares to construct a roundabout in the next year or two where Kings Highway, Park Avenue, Winona Avenue and Argonne Road intersect.

Other business included:

• The Winona Lake Parks Department will hold a ribbon-cutting for the new restrooms at the Limitless Park Splash Pad, 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 24.
• Pajama Party in The Village at Winona starts at 7 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 25. Attendees wearing pajamas may take part in activities and take advantage of sales at several shops in the village.
• The council approved the 2020 Wayne Township Parks & Recreation Agreement to the tune of $18,000.