You’ll Be Shocked by the Number of Rotaries in Maine

If you spend much time in Augusta, you know that the city’s road planners love rotaries.

The city has four of these traffic features.  Each one has been seemingly placed strategically to aid with the flow of traffic through the city.

Honestly, it makes a lot of sense.  Even though Augusta has a small population, there are lot of people who venture to the state's capital each day.  In theory, instead of inbound traffic on Western Avenue being backed up at a set of stoplights, traffic can continuously flow through the rotary.

Some people would say that, in reality, the traffic patterns don't go as smoothly as they do on paper.

How many rotaries, roundabouts, and traffic circles does Maine have?

Unless you travel through a rotary on a regular basis, you may have the impression that they are not very common in Maine.  In fact, considering how rural the state is, they are quite common.

According to Kittelson, there are 35 roundabouts, rotaries, and traffic circles scattered around Maine.  Many of these, like the Augusta rotaries and the rotary in Windham, are located on roads used by commuters.  However, some of them are in really random places.

For example, one of the listed roundabouts is actually at an intersection on the campus of Colby College in Waterville.  Another somewhat random rotary is located near the New Brunswick border in Calais.

Check out all of the state’s rotaries, roundabouts, and traffic circles here.

How does Maine stack up against the other states?

With only 35, Maine is pretty low on the list.

Let's take a look at some of the other states that don't have a limited amount of rotaries.  With 17 roundabouts, South Dakota was at the bottom of the list.  Vermont has 20, and Rhode Island has 25.

At the other end of the spectrum, North Carolina has 643, Indiana has 652, Washington has 680, Texas has 786, and California has 832.

What state has the most?  Florida.  The Sunshine State has a whopping 1,475 rotaries, roundabouts, and traffic circles.