Highway 63 roundabout open to traffic north of Rochester
ROCHESTER, Minn. – Construction of a new roundabout at Highway 63 and Olmsted County Road 112 north of Rochester is completed and open to traffic, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
The roundabout opened to traffic early Thursday evening.
Work began on June 2. In addition to constructing a roundabout, crews installed new lighting, made accessibility improvements and installed a box culvert north of Highway 63 on County Road 112. The project will help reduce speed through the area, keep traffic moving, better manage travel needs at the intersection and improve safety for all users.
This was a joint project between MnDOT and Olmsted County. This is the 21st MnDOT in the 11-county southeast Minnesota district. Statewide MnDOT has more than 150 roundabouts.
To learn more about this project, go to MnDOT’s project website.
A roundabout is also planned for construction in 2027 at Highway 63/Highway 247/Olmsted County Road 12. People can learn more about this nearby project by going to the MnDOT project website. You can also attend a public meeting on Sept. 23.
Benefits of a roundabout
- Significantly reduces the risk of serious and fatal crashes.
- Roundabouts show an 86% decrease in fatal crashes and an 83% decrease in life-altering injury crashes.
- Allows drivers to get through the intersection more safely and in less time.
- Roundabouts handle high levels of traffic with less delay than most stop signs or traffic signals.
- Slows traffic to make entering and exiting the area easier for all users.
Navigating a roundabout
Roundabouts may be unfamiliar at first, but with practice, navigating them will get easier with each trip. Watch our roundabout simulation and see how it works. Learn more about roundabouts.
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