Planners say a roundabout to be constructed at the intersection of Kyles Station and Yankee roads next year will make the intersection safer, but some Liberty Twp. residents say it’s a waste of money and will lower property values.

When the intersection was a two-way stop there were five serious accidents in less that a year, but improvements, including a four-way stop, have resulted in very few in recent years, according to Ray McCurley, who lives near the proposed project.

“It is much safer now,” McCurley said during Thursday’s Butler County Commission meeting. “There are nearly no accidents.”

McCurley believes the project was approved based on data collected when it was a two-way stop and the roundabout is not needed.

“Call it a loop hole if you want, but I think it is fraud,” McCurley said. He is requesting to the project be stopped, noting construction will cause flooding and drainage problems on his property.

The project, slated to begin in March, has a price tag of $650,000. A grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission will pay for 80 percent of the project.

Residents have collected 150 signatures from people in the area, including school bus drivers, who use the intersection and oppose the construction of the roundabout.

The roundabout will slow moving vehicles, keep traffic moving and be able to accommodate growth along Yankee Road, according to Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkens.

“Studies show a four-way stop helps at first, but eventually that changes. People begin ignoring them,” Wilkens said.

“It (the intersection) is better right now. Better than it was,” he said, but stop signs cannot handle the capacity of a gowning area, such as Liberty Twp. that will continue to generate traffic.

Wilkens said he understands the concerns of property owners. He said there is a plan to address drainage problems and to repair any damage done to property during construction.

Resident Randy Slattery said the roundabout will cause site problems for school buses, but Wilkens said there is adequate site distance for school buses.

“Children will be entering and exiting the bus where there is no stop,” Slattery said.

Commission President Don Dixon suggested a meeting be scheduled among the county administrator, the county engineer and concerned residents.

“We are always willing to meet with them … but I don’t think it is going to change the project,” said Wilkens, who noted he and his staff have met previously with residents about their concerns with the project.