A tentative proposal to build a massive roundabout on the Alaska Highway where it meets Robert Service Way and Hamilton Boulevard is being panned on social media.

According to the Yukon government website “in summer 2022, we plan to continue safety improvements between Philmar RV and the Whitehorse weigh scales. Construction for this project will be phased over several years. Improvements will include:

• completion of a multi-purpose trail;

• safer accesses on and off the highway;

• a fish-friendly creek crossing;

• an improved intersection at Robert Service Way;

• frontage roads to connect businesses and provide a safe school bus transfer station; and

• additional lanes for safe turning and travel.

“The project could also include a roundabout.”

The website then goes on to explain the rationale for replacing the traffic lights with a roundabout:

• the Robert Service Way intersection has high collision data;

• the majority of collisions here are related to left turns and speed;

• roundabouts reduce points for vehicle conflict and high-impact collisions; and

• roundabouts help keep traffic flowing, but at reduced speeds.

Brian Crist, the government’s director of transportation and engineering for the project, said today the roundabout is just one part of the project, and it’s far from being a finalized component.

A roundabout does offer certain advantages, including reducing the potential for so-called “T-bone accidents” and is more environmentally friendly. It has to pass through a thorough safety analysis before the government will commit to it.

Crist said the busy, high-speed intersection sees a high collision rate, mostly related to left-hand turns in all directions.

“The traffic lights are our default design,” he said. “But roundabouts can work very positively in these situations.

“They are also better for pedestrians and cyclists. The concept is going through an options analysis, with safety being the primary consideration.

“At the moment, we are just evaluating it. Functionality will be the key consideration.”

Roundabouts also eliminate engine idling at red lights, making them environmentally friendly.

The City of Whitehorse is being consulted as well, since it considers the intersection to be part of an arterial municipal road.

The Yukon government holds the final say, since highways are more important than municipal roads, Crist noted.

The highway upgrades are to be introduced over a three-year period, he said.

For 2022, the focus will be on the area south of the airport – where work stopped this year – to just south of the weigh scales.

Eventually, the upgrades will finish near the Yamaha dealer beyond Squatters’ Road, Crist said.

“The basis through all of the segments is safety,” he said.

The government has received a lot of input from residents in the area, including through an open house in September, and has made some adjustments, Crist said.

The comments on social media, however, are scathing.

“A roundabout on a major throughway and dangerous goods route?” one person wrote.

“I would love to see a rail trailer with a D-11 on it attempt to navigate a merry-go-round. This may well be the stupidest thing I’ve heard this year. Oops, still two weeks left – I hope I didn’t jinx us all.”

Another person wrote: “A traffic circle on the highway? The lights seem to work really well now that there’s been advance green added. This is ridiculous.”

Several people advocated for the idea to be scrapped in favour of an overpass being constructed.

“Why is this place so afraid of putting in an overpass?” was one comment.

“This is just stupid, stupid and even more stupid. It seems whoever is designing these intersections has roundabout stuck in their brain.

“A roundabout on a major highway would be extremely dangerous, especially for the larger vehicles. I can just picture turned-over semis as an everyday occurrence. What is the problem with using overpasses?” another asked.

One person was particularly harsh in her evaluation.

“Oh, wow, I’m lost for words how stupid this is. Like, does someone actually get paid to think this up?”