The modern roundabout was developed in United Kingdom in the 1960's, and while they took a while to catch on, expect to see a lot more of them around Anchorage.

Across town, there are three about to be built, including one at Johns Rd. and Klatt Rd. in South Anchorage. Traffic will be impacted for about 6 weeks starting Friday.

The other two roundabouts will be coming in at the intersection of Sand Lake Rd. and Dimond Blvd., and Westpark Dr. and Dimond Blvd. Construction on both roundabouts began in mid-May, the contractor will be doing full intersection closures on July 5.

Studies by the Federal Highway Administration have shown that roundabouts reduce collisions by 37 percent, injuries by 75 percent, fatalities by 90 percent and pedestrian collisions by 40 percent.

Alaska DOT officials say the reason roundabouts are safer is because drivers typically travel at lower speeds, there are no lights to beat and one-way travel eliminates the possibility of t-bone and head-on collisions.