| Los Alamitos Circle | |
|---|---|
 Map showing location of the Long Beach Traffic Circle in State of California, Southern California, and including nearby roads and interconnect with the Pacific Coast Highway. | |
| Location | |
| Long Beach, California | |
| Coordinates | 33°47′24″N118°08′33″W / 33.79°N 118.1425°W /33.79; -118.1425 |
| Roads at junction |  SR 1 SR 19Los Coyotes Diagonal |
| Construction | |
| Type | Roundabout |
TheLos Alamitos Traffic Circle, informally known as theLong Beach Traffic Circle (or just theTraffic Circle, as there is only one other high volumetraffic circle inSouthern California[citation needed]), is aroundabout at the intersection ofLakewood Boulevard (State Route 19),Pacific Coast Highway (State Route 1/formerU.S. Route 101 Alternate) and Los Coyotes Diagonal inLong Beach, California. The intersection was originally constructed as a traffic circle in 1930 and reconstructed as a modernroundabout in 1993.
In 1930, German engineerWerner Ruchti was contracted to design the traffic circle, which was to be based on European models. Construction was expedited in order to accommodate the increased vehicle traffic that was expected with the1932 Summer Olympics, held inLos Angeles, as many of the aquatic and rowing events were to be held in Long Beach.[1]
The Los Alamitos Traffic Circle was one of the first of its kind to be constructed in the United States, and prior to their truncation, was also an end point ofUS 6 (which connectsProvincetown, Massachusetts some 3,227 miles (5,193 km) to the east) andUS 91.[2]
In 1993, the circle was converted from an old-styletraffic circle to a modernroundabout by theCalifornia Department of Transportation (Caltrans). This was the first such conversion in the United States. Yield signs replaced Stop signs, giving drivers inside the circle the right of way, which increased traffic flow efficiency. PCH (the main thoroughfare) was given an additional entry lane at both north and south bound routes.[3] Also added were widened feeder lanes,[1] and dedicated lanes for traffic traveling only 90 of the 360 degrees of the circle - the equivalent of a right turn at a traditional American traffic light. After the conversion, both the total auto accident and the injury rate significantly dropped, making the circle one of the safest statistically in the nation. The aforementioned modifications ran a cost of $350,000.[3]
In 2020, lane controls and shoulder striping were added to the roundabout to change it from being unmarked inside the roundabout to a maximum two-lane roundabout with lane controls for entering and exiting the roundabout. The west side of the roundabout (adjacent to the eastbound entrance from and westbound exit to Pacific Coast Highway) was reduced to one lane inside the roundabout through the installation of asphalt truck apron at that section.[4]
The Los Alamitos Traffic Circle was very similar to the 1932Garces Memorial Circle located inBakersfield, though the Bakersfield circle has not undergone modernization to roundabout standards.
Today the circle handles over 60,000 vehicles a day, mostly commuters fromOrange County in the south heading to jobs in theSouth Bay area of Los Angeles County. The roadway is now owned by theState of California but managed by the City of Long Beach in cooperation with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The city provides landscaping and vehicle code/traffic enforcement, while the state provides road maintenance.
In addition to the main traffic circle, there is also an Outer Traffic Circle that is concentric with the main roundabout. The artery Atherton Street ends at the Outer Traffic Circle and does not continue toward the main roundabout