Kare11
Rise of roundabouts in Minnesota
If you feel like you’re seeing more circles on your commute, you are. The number of roundabouts being built in Minnesota is rising — rapidly.
MINNESOTA, USA — Your eyes and wheels don’t deceive you; you’re seeing more circles.
“Just recently, there’s been a kind of almost a cascade of more roundabouts every single year,” said Minnesota Department of Transportation administrative engineer Derek Leuer.
MnDOT’s first roundabouts went up in 2002, down in Medford off of Interstate 35. According to a national roundabout database (yes, there is such a thing), Minnesota now has 498.
And the reason behind the rise has nothing to do with trying to annoy you.
“The biggest thing when we looked at the research is the really big reduction in fatal and serious injury crashes, which is really the target type of crash we want to reduce,” said Leuer. “After we install a roundabout, we typically see an 80- to 90-percent reduction in fatal and serious injury crashes, versus the before conditions,” he adds.
MnDOT said they are up to 70-percent safer for pedestrians, too. But how?
Well, by design, they force drivers to slow down and they take out those right angles that a four-way stop, or signaled intersection have — both things that make crashes far more severe.
And the way the crosswalks are designed means pedestrians only need to cross one lane of traffic at a time. The suburbs must have been reading the same studies.
“We have six, full-size, or standard-size, roundabouts in Edina, and we have four what we call mini-roundabouts,” explained Chad Millner, director of engineering for the city of Edina.
For Edina, the reasons weren’t strictly about safety. Officials say roundabouts help move traffic through congested intersections better, so they’ve put a few near schools.
“Eventually they learn that it is better for me to just yield and go through these from a traffic operations standpoint, then having a four-way stop that was here. Before, you’d have cars backed all the way up to Vernon Avenue in each direction in these school pickup and drop-offs,” says Millner.
But let’s just admit that change is hard, and for most of us when we learned to drive, roundabouts weren’t, well, around.
“Usually when you put one in, the first few weeks you get the calls like, ‘Why did you do it?’ ‘I don’t like the size of this one,’ ‘Can you do something different?’ ‘I don’t know how to operate it,’” Millner said.
That’s changing, too. According to Minnesota’s Department of Public Safety, roundabouts ARE covered in the driver’s manual for new drivers. And there are a few locations around the state that have roundabouts on the road test. DPS said as more roundabouts are built, they’ll likely expand testing. For the rest of us, maybe a quick lesson would be helpful.
“You always yield to the person that is already in the circle,” said Andrew Plowman, senior project manager at WSB..
Andrew Plowman knows what he’s talking about. He’s designed more than his fair share of roundabouts over the years. From minis to urban compact, single lane to multi-lane, too. But no matter the size, they all work the same.
“When there’s a gap in traffic, and that means they feel they have enough time to get in, then they would enter and proceed to their final destination and exit, and as they exit, look for a pedestrian in the crossing,” said Plowman.
It’s that simple. Slow down, yield to the cars already in the circle, turn right, proceed to your exit, and exit. When you approach a two-lane roundabout, it’s the same concept.
From the right lane, you can turn right at the first exit or go straight. Use the inside or left lane to go straight, or if you’re going all the way around to the last exit, like if you were making a left turn at a traditional intersection.
The signage helps make it clear, but do you need to use your turn signal? Andrew said it’s a big debate in the roundabout industry, but according to our statutes here in Minnesota, the answer is no. The distance between where you enter and exit is so short, it doesn’t really matter.
“Number one, even when I’m sitting at a regular intersection, I don’t necessarily trust someone’s signal. Number two, it’s fractions of a second before you’re going to know if they are turning or exiting,” Plowman said.
While it may be the case that many drivers are not familiar with roundabout rules, they still seem to be working. And they’re kind of growing on people.
Mostly. Maybe. Well, anyway, get used to them because they’re sticking around.
“Just keep an open mind. They’re not a fad anymore, even if they were at the beginning. It’s a proven tool that does work for municipalities, counties, DOT and they’re pretty much here to stay,” said Plowman.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11’s newscasts. You’ll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
Bergstrom said a big focus for the party moving forward will be on bold messaging and reaching more people as they prepare for the gubernatorial race in 2026.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Republican Party of Minnesota has elected Alex Plechash as chairman, ousting David Hann as the party’s leader during the state central committee meeting on Saturday.
The committee also voted for Dep. Chairwoman Donna Bergstrom to keep her position.
“We had lots of passion and emotions and conversations in our ballroom, but it was really good,” Bergstrom said on Sunday. “At the end of the day, I’m very happy that I was reelected as deputy chair.”
Bergstrom said a big focus for the party moving forward will be on messaging and reaching more people as they prepare for the gubernatorial race in 2026.
Plechash currently serves on the Wayzata City Council. According to his campaign website, he is a former committeeman for the Republican National Committee and has spent 20 years as a Republican activist.
Bergstrom has held her role as deputy chair since 2021, a time when the party was navigating financial struggles, the forced resignation of former chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan and a prominent donor’s sex trafficking charges.
“When I was first appointed by chairman Hann in October of ’21, and he was elected, we were in very, very bad shape, quite frankly,” Bergstrom said. “We had lost a lot of trust throughout the state with our party units. We were in the financial dire straits, if you will, so there was a real emphasis on bringing stability back, bringing non-drama back.”
“He and I had a great working relationship,” Bergstrom continued, speaking of her relationship with former chairman Hann. “We talked through issues behind closed doors, worked out those differences and so when we came forward, it was pretty much a united front, and I think the party needed that and appreciated that. Then there were some times when people would ask me to, ‘You got to really stand up and push back,’ and things like that, and I said I will definitely be your voice, but at the end of the day the chairman’s the chairman and he gets to make the decision.”
Bergstrom said she is looking forward to a more bold and united party under Plechash.
“He’s also a retired Marine, so we have what I say is a secret handshake,” she said. “I don’t think he’s going to be afraid to make bold decisions, and I think people are really looking for that. We saw that modeled on the national level, we saw President-elect Trump do that same thing, be very bold in his statements, and tell people black and white this is how it is, and I think people are really looking for that in Minnesota.”
Minnesota DFL chairman Ken Martin said Hann’s removal as chairman was made “with by the help of far-right activists, including the group Action 4 Liberty” and provided this statement in response to the GOP’s new leadership:
“The Minnesota GOP has been completely captured by the most extreme, fringe activists in Minnesota politics. Control of Minnesota’s entire state government is on the ballot in 2026. Today’s chaos shows that if Minnesota Republicans regain power, they will be beholden to the same far-right fringe that now dominates the national Republican Party.”
The Minnesota GOP has not won a statewide election in Minnesota in almost two decades.
Plechash did not return KARE’s call for comment.
Sergeant Tony Bryand spent 10 months in the Middle East, and never got to see his stepdaughter perform – until Saturday
CHANHASSEN, Minn. — Few things match the mystery of the theater, or the warmth that comes from the holidays. At the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, that warmth was easy to spot Saturday night.
Hundreds gathered to watch the musical White Christmas, but for one person, the show wasn’t the most important part of their evening.
It was who would be there.
“Me and her have had a really good bond since I’ve came into her life,” Sergeant Tony Bryand said.
Sgt. Bryand has been away on deployment in Kuwait for the last 10 months, returning home just in time for the holidays. On stage, his stepdaughter, nine-year-old Jenalia, plays Susan Waverly.
“Me being gone is a big change, really hard on her,” Sgt. Bryand said, choking up. “Hard on me.”
During the preshow announcement, emcee Nancy Nelson walked out, set to announce the start of the show.
Instead, she was interrupted by Jenalia.
“On behalf of the theater, Nancy, we would all like to thank you for all you do!” Jenalia said, surprising Nancy.
“You should have them, and I know someone who wants to give them to you, darling,” Nelson said in response. “Turn around!”
In front of the crowd, Jenalia turned and saw Sgt. Bryand, running into his arms, reuniting the two after months apart.
“He has not seen her on this stage, in this show, but he will tonight!” Nelson said while the two embraced.
Sgt. Bryand sat and watched his stepdaughter perform during the show, the nerves he had conquered, and now reunited for the holidays.
“Gonna give her a memory, gonna give us a memory that we’ll never forget,” he said.
The road conditions were snowy and icy when the crash occurred.
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minn. — One man was killed after his truck collided with another vehicle in Inver Grove Heights on Saturday afternoon, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
The man was driving up the entrance ramp from Concord Boulevard to northbound Highway 52 when his truck lost control, said the state patrol.
His truck crossed over the northbound lanes of Highway 52 before colliding with another vehicle, said the state patrol.
The road conditions were snowy and icy when the crash occurred.
The state patrol identified the man who died as 74-year-old Willard Pohl of Inver Grove Heights.
The driver of the other vehicle and his five passengers, which included four children, were not injured in the crash.
Minnesota Republican Party elects new chair
Waltz says federal agencies are “pointing at each other” to figure out mysterious drone sightings
Volunteers keep Christmas alive in shuttered church with a Nativity scene with a live baby and carols in German
Minnesota Republican Party elects new chair
Waltz says federal agencies are “pointing at each other” to figure out mysterious drone sightings
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings