Carmel city leaders gathered Monday near the intersection of Keystone Avenue and 96th Street for a ribbon-cutting marking the official opening of a new $90 million roundabout.
City officials said the intersection of 96th Street and Keystone Parkway on the northern border with Indianapolis has long been one of the most-crowded and crash-filled intersections in the area.
The roundabout, which opened late last week to motorists, was under construction for nearly three years.
Carmel’s mayor Jim Brainard explained to the media and area residents why the city decided to build a roundabout instead of just additional lanes to Keystone Avenue and 96th Street.
“If we improve on the ability to get more cars through the intersection quickly, we don’t have to add all those lanes,” said Brainard. “We all remember that old song ‘pave over paradise.’ We didn’t really need more pavement. We needed to make the intersections work better and more safely.”