Portland’s Only Traffic Roundabout is Now Open Near USM

Friday, Portland's crazy 6-way intersection is now a roundabout.

According to the Portland Press Herald, the roundabout is the Deering's Corner Roundabout. It replaces the maddening intersections of Deering and Brighton avenues and Falmouth Street near the University of Maine School of Law and the University of Southern Maine. Engineers are hoping this makes the heavy traffic go just a little more smoothly through that neighborhood.

Portland also hopes it makes getting around that area safer too. If you have ever been to that intersection, you either sat at a red light forever or up just never knew what the hell was going on.

It's not completed, but it is open. It still needs paint and paving. You need to pay attention when you enter the roundabout. If you only drive in Portland - this is the very first one you've seen!  Even though this is new to Portland, you can't forget the pedestrians. The crosswalks are raised to hopefully slow things down a bit.

Portland has been grappling with what to do with this intersection since it started meeting with the public back in 2012.

Maine has over 20 roundabouts and this is the first one in Portland. Roundabouts are different than rotaries and make the traffic move slower. Here's to driving in circles...safely!