New roundabout introduced to Eaton

Construction of new roundabout on county road 35 and 74

Due to the construction of the new high school surrounding roads will undergo construction as well. With the size of the new high school, there is bound to be more traffic, so in order to combat this, they will be installing a new roundabout at County Road 35 and 74. These are the main roads most residents and out-of-district students use to drive to Greeley. Construction will begin Mar. 9 and will be completed Jul. 29. Currently, there is a stop sign on County Road 35 which intersects County Road 74 where the speed limit is 55. It can be predicted that the roundabout will affect the speed limits on each road which is the safest option due to it being a part of the new high school. Math teacher Derek Weigle said, “I take a backroad from Nunn into Eaton, and it leads me to County Road 74, but I’ve been planning for this, so I’ve already mapped out a new route.” Very predictable coming from a math teacher, but it’s something everyone will have to adjust to. The roundabout will be the first one the town of Eaton has seen which may cause new drivers some confusion. In later years it may cause some extra trouble with the snow, especially during the before and after school rush. Construction won’t only cause trouble for those driving, but also for the residents who live in the new apartments directly next to it. Loud noises as well disruption to their daily routine may occur. Juan Campos (22) said, “I usually take that road to Greeley and now I’ll have to take a detour, and with gas prices going up it’ll be super annoying.” Campos is worried that the high gas prices along with finding new roads to drive on will deter some people from leaving town as often. It’s safe to say that the construction will play a big role in many community members’ lives, but it will end up being a great installation for the town. Roundabouts have been proven to lessen the number of car wrecks which will be very beneficial to those attending the new high school. It may take some getting used to for those who use the County Roads daily, but there are many ways to enter and leave town, and once the roundabout has been installed, traffic will flow much better.