BELGRADE — The City of Belgrade is moving forward with plans to add two new roundabouts, one in the city's north at Cruiser Lane and Dry Creek Road, and another at North Broadway and Main Street.
"You know, I was not a big fan of roundabouts when they first started around here, but I am now. I think they speed up traffic," said Belgrade local, Rick Ramler.
Mayor Russell Nelson, who has served as Belgrade's mayor for the past 22 years, explained the reasoning behind the two new roundabouts:
"The purpose of these two roundabouts is to improve traffic flow and to increase safety," said Nelson.
"Some people have itchy feet, and some people don’t want to wait. The roundabout will cause you to wait."
Mayor Nelson explained why the city is planning to add a roundabout at Cruiser Lane and Dry Creek Road.
"Cause there’s no turning lane. People want to turn left onto Cruiser and not continue on Dry Creek, and there are 10 to 15 cars backed up," said the mayor.
Belgrade's traffic solution: Two new roundabouts coming soon! 🚗 Find out where they'll be built and when construction starts
Cody Salo, project manager at DOWL, a construction engineering company, explained the reasoning behind a roundabout at North Broadway and Main.
"The congestion issue in downtown Belgrade is pretty significant," he said. At peak hours, vehicles are backing up across the railroad tracks and queuing up along Main Street, so there's a lot of congestion."
Both roundabouts are currently in the design phase.
The Cruiser Lane and Dry Creek Road design is about 60% complete, and construction is expected to begin in spring 2026.
Construction for the North Broadway and Main roundabout is scheduled to begin in 2028.
"Both roundabouts will move cars faster," explained Mayor Nelson. "That's just what will happen, and it will slow some cars down too."
