New roundabout opens in Tempe near Rio Salado Parkway and Ash Avenue

TEMPE, Ariz. - It can be confusing, but one thing's for sure -- in Tempe, it's here to stay.

"When you're going southbound to eastbound, that's what we found to be the highest movement, so that's the only portion of the roundabout that actually has dual lanes, two lanes. All the rest are single lane," Tempe city engineer Julian Dresang said.

Tempe city officials say what was once a T-intersection in Tempe is now the city's first roundabout.

"The roundabout portion of the project came on in 2017," Dresang said. "We had a traffic study that looked at this intersection in ways that we can approve it and it was recommended to include this as part of the Tempe Street Car construction."

Construction started six weeks ago and crews made fast work of this phase of the project. Tempe city officials say the most important thing to remember is to slow down.