Jill Schramm/MDN A vehicle navigates the recently opened roundabout at 31st Avenue and 13th Street Southeast Sunday.

Minot’s first roundabout is open to traffic.

The City of Minot announced the opening Sunday of the new traffic feature at 31st Avenue and 13th Street Southeast, which is south of the U.S. 2 & 52 Bypass and north of John Hoeven Elementary.

The roundabout is part of the 31st Avenue improvement project.

“Safety was a key consideration in designing the roundabout,” Josh Olson, project engineer with Apex Engineering Group, said earlier this summer. “A roundabout will help to improve safety at the intersection by reducing conflict points from 31 to eight and will also aid in slowing down traffic.”

Work began April 13. The project is broken into three phases, with the roundabout completion as part of the first phase.

“A lot of attention has been focused on the roundabout but this project will also increase roadway capacity, improve safety for the traveling public, enhance access for non-motorized users and correct drainage issues,” Minot City Engineer Lance Meyer said in a news release.

– Jill Schramm