Millerton Road & Marina Drive Roundabout
Millerton Road in eastern Fresno County is a heavily travelled Major Collector near Millerton Lake, a manmade lake and hydro-electric dam which provides nature trails and recreational activities to County residents and visitors. Destinations along Millerton Road also include Table Mountain Rancheria, Table Mountain Casino and hotel, Eagle Springs Golf Club, or the newly constructed sprawling suburban communities. Table Mountain Rancheria (TMR), the Chukchansi band of Yokut and Monache tribes of Indigenous Americans operates the two casinos and a hotel.
Prior to the opening of the second casino, TMR funded the reconstruction and widening of one mile of Millerton Road from the casino entrance to Marina Drive/Winchell Cove. (Millerton intersects with Marina Drive to the South and Winchell Cove to the North). Winchell Cove leads to the Lake, while Marina Drive leads to the residential area. According to the Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) hosted by UC Berkeley, between 2012 and May 2023 there were 44 traffic collisions, 9 people were killed and 26 were injured within 900 feet of the intersection of Millerton Road and Marina Drive. In early 2024, however, County staff were informed by CalFire that between 2012 and 2022 they had responded to as many as 193 traffic collisions on Millerton Road between North Fork Road and Marina Drive.
The project would construct a roundabout and appropriate signage and safety striping at the intersection. The proposed roundabout will improve the issues of speed and sight distance in an effort to slow traffic to minimize the number of collisions. Preliminary Engineering is already funded and in progress.
Roundabouts are a safer alternative to traffic signals and stop signs. The tight circle of a roundabout forces drivers to slow down, and the most severe types of intersection crashes — right-angle, left-turn and head-on collisions — are unlikely. Roundabouts improve traffic flow and are better for the environment, eliminating idling time at a traffic signal, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. According to the Federal Highway Administration, roundabouts provide several safety benefits as described below:
- Fewer crashes, 90% fewer fatalities and 75% fewer injuries
- Fewer severe crashes
- 10 to 40% fewer pedestrian/bicycle crashes
- Roundabouts are safer for beginner and elderly drivers
- Can be used in multiple road intersections
- Time Savings
- 30 to 50% increase in traffic capacity for intersection,
- Less delay waiting at stops and signals
The total cost of the project is estimated to be approximately $3.7 million.
Millerton Road Widening Project
Location Map(PDF, 2MB)
Preliminary Drawing(PDF, 8MB)
Photos of Existing Conditions(PDF, 6MB)
