The roundabout at the intersection of Riverside Drive, West Carroll Street and Mill Street in Downtown Salisbury has been completed and is open to traffic.

The hope is the circle will help to alleviate traffic congestion in the area.

There will be some occasional lane closures today, July 28, to allow for the installation of guardrails.

“Thank you to our incredible team of engineers led by Director of Infrastructure and Development Amanda Pollack, and George and Lynch for seeing this project to fruition,” said City Administrator Julia Glanz.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held this Thursday at 10 a.m. at the roundabout. The public is invited to attend the ribbon-cutting event but please note that all attendees must wear masks. Parking for this event will be available in Lot 1, the free two-hour parking lot next to the library.

“We are thrilled to see this project reach completion, from its initial proposal in 2016 to its construction this past October,” said city Director of Infrastructure Amanda Pollack. “The intersection is designed to reduce wait times at the intersection as well as to provide for safer, improved pedestrian crossings in the area.”

The two-lane traffic circle keeps traffic moving efficiently through the area, especially at high volume times like morning and evening rush hour. Motorists are reminded to yield to traffic already inside the circle, as well as to pedestrians walking in crosswalks.

The center of the Riverside Circle features a 30-foot obelisk, the Fred P. Adkins Memorial. The large metal sculpture was installed on the Downtown Plaza in 1970 in honor of local businessman, Fred P. Adkins, and dedicated to Salisbury’s faith in its future. It was given its new home in the traffic circle to make way for the continuation of the Main Street Master Plan construction.

“From its conception, this project has been rooted in aiding citizens and visitors in navigating our City more safely, efficiently, and with ease, both in vehicles and on foot,” said Glanz. “Just as the Fred P. Adkins Memorial represented faith in the bright future of our growing city during its time on the Downtown Plaza, we hope it provides the same sentiment to those that travel the Riverside Circle for years to come.”