ELY — Minnesota Department of Transportation officials announced plans to test four-way stops at two downtown Ely intersections this winter, as the city’s aging traffic signals could fail at any time.
Christian Lawien, a project manager with MnDOT, told residents at a public meeting that the traffic signals at Central Avenue and Third Avenue intersections with Highway 1 are 44 years old — well beyond their typical 30-year lifespan — and some replacement parts are no longer manufactured.
“We don’t have a project coming up, but we want to determine what we could do if those signals do become inoperable,” Lawien said. “The signals are some of the oldest on the state system.”
The four-way stop test will run for a period this winter and again next summer during tourist season to evaluate real-world traffic performance. The interim solution will allow officials to study how traffic flows under all-way stop conditions while giving the community time to become familiar with alternative intersection designs.
The project began in 2023 with traffic volume data collection, followed by a public meeting in June 2024 to gather input on intersection performance.
The existing signals are described as “very simple” with no actual vehicle detection, operating only on timers. According to Lawien, if a major component fails, MnDOT might not be able to repair it due to the unavailability of parts.
The study examined traffic patterns, crash data, and public concerns about safety for both motorists and pedestrians, as well as navigability for large trucks.
Roundabouts recommended
While the testing proceeds, the traffic study actually recommends replacing both signals with mini-roundabouts, citing significant safety benefits. According to the research, roundabouts reduce fatal and serious injury crashes by up to 86 percent compared to signals and eliminate fatal pedestrian crashes entirely.
“It is the safest form of traffic control for all users,” Lawien said, adding that roundabouts reduce vehicle speeds downtown and handle large traffic fluctuations better than signals. “Basically, it reduces risk, which is something that we’re looking at now with the safe system approach.”
MnDOT has recently adopted the Federal Highway Department’s “safe system approach,” which maintains that deaths and serious injuries are not acceptable on road networks. The approach emphasizes proactive safety measures based on risk rather than reactive responses to crash history.
Lawien explained that mini-roundabouts would dramatically reduce conflict points where severe crashes can occur. While traditional signalized intersections have numerous potential collision points for dangerous angle crashes, roundabouts limit conflicts to merging and diverging movements that typically result in less severe side-to-side collisions.
The compact design forces vehicles to travel at approximately 10 miles per hour or less through the intersection. The center island would be only two to three inches high, allowing large trucks to drive over it while following a path that accommodates their turning radius.
“We found that it actually helps with truck navigability rather than hurts it, because it actually gives a wider swing area for that semi,” Lawien said.
For pedestrians, crosswalks would be positioned at least 10 feet back from the roundabout itself, separating the decision points for drivers. Pedestrians would cross one lane at a time with a refuge island in between, only needing to watch for traffic from one direction at each crossing.
The meeting included powerful testimony from a father whose 8-year-old son was struck by a truck while crossing in 2024 despite following all pedestrian signals and waiting for the walk signal.
“He waited for the stoplight to turn. He expected it to be safe. He walked. A Dodge Ram truck turned left, struck him, and he was carried 30 feet by that truck,” he said, his voice breaking with emotion. His son spent a week in the ICU and missed an entire summer of activities while recovering.
“If it’s safer to do a roundabout, I’m supporting a roundabout because it’s safer for a pedestrian,” he said. “I don’t want anybody else to have to have their eight-year-old son struck by a truck.”
Other residents expressed skepticism about whether roundabouts fit the community’s needs.
Several residents questioned the impact on downtown businesses, with some worried about losing street parking and others concerned about how the construction would affect retail.
Winter driving conditions on the hill approaching the Central Avenue intersection prompted safety questions. County traffic engineers noted that sliding risks exist regardless of intersection type, and MnDOT maintains a clean pavement policy for trunk highways using modern high-friction technologies.
Some residents doubted that drivers would slow to 10 miles per hour through the roundabouts. Lawien explained that the compact design physically forces speed reduction.
“Unless you’re going to hop over the center island, you’re forced to slow down,” he said. “It’s uncomfortable to drive over even a two-inch raise.”
Questions about pedestrian crossings without signals drew detailed responses from traffic engineers. They explained that pedestrian vigilance actually increases at roundabouts compared to signalized intersections, where pedestrians often develop a false sense of security. The majority of pedestrian crashes in the Duluth metro area occur at traffic signals, particularly involving right turns and opposing left turns across crosswalks.
Residents raised questions about how roundabouts would handle special events like Blueberry Festival, which brings dramatic increases in traffic volume. Lawien explained that roundabouts handle traffic fluctuations more efficiently than signals because they eliminate wasted time waiting at red lights when no conflicting traffic is present.
“Instead of having to go out there and try to maximize traffic during special events with existing signal systems, mini-roundabouts can very well handle much heavier traffic than what you’d otherwise see on a typical day,” he said, adding that while extremely high volumes might cause some congestion, traffic would continue moving.
Four alternatives studied
The traffic study examined four alternatives for each intersection: new signals with pedestrian enhancements, two-way stops, four-way stops, and mini-roundabouts.
Under current traffic levels, the Central Avenue signal doesn’t meet federal installation warrants set by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, though it would meet warrants under projected future volumes with conservative growth assumptions. Both intersections meet warrants for four-way stops.
The Third Avenue signal doesn’t meet any warrants — vehicular or pedestrian — for signal replacement. However, the study noted that insufficient sight distance at a two-way stop could justify a four-way stop as an alternative.
Traffic flow analysis showed that signals create the most delay, with drivers experiencing 11 seconds during peak morning hours at Central Avenue. Mini-roundabouts showed the lowest delay at approximately four seconds during peak periods.
Cost and timeline
Construction costs were estimated at approximately $500,000 for mini-roundabouts versus $1 million for new signals and $400,000 to $500,000 for stop signs, based on 2023 figures. Actual costs would be significantly higher when construction occurs, with typical annual inflation of three to four percent.
No funding currently exists for any permanent solution. The highway section isn’t currently in MnDOT’s ten-year plan for repaving, with pavement conditions suggesting work might be needed in years 11 through 13.
“We don’t have any funding for any roundabouts right now, so it’s not coming anytime soon,” Lawien said. Implementation could accelerate if the signals fail completely and cannot be restored to operation.
Next steps
The winter four-way stop test will provide real-world data on traffic performance under stop-controlled conditions. If the test shows that four-way stops work well, officials noted that mini-roundabouts would perform even better since not all vehicles must come to complete stops.
Lawien emphasized that roundabouts might be better incorporated into a larger corridor reconstruction project that could address parking, other intersections, and overall downtown layout comprehensively. However, no such project is currently planned or funded.