Beth Paulsen, a New Lenox resident, said when she moved to the area in 2008, there was no where near the traffic she sees quite literally from her own front yard.

This increased traffic comes to a head at the three-way intersection bordering, where North Cedar Road and South Cedar Road meet East Haven Avenue. Paulsen said roads around the intersection were almost always backed up, drivers often got confused and didn’t know where to stop or go and some residents started avoiding the intersection altogether.

So after 12 years of discussions on a solution, Paulsen said she was excited when New Lenox officials approved a $2.7 million construction project, that has now increased to $4 million, to convert the intersection to a roundabout. Construction began in April, and the intersection has been closed to through traffic since.

Mayor Tim Baldermann said construction should finish by Nov. 1 and for travel as of early October, with landscaping to be finished in spring 2026. He noted that while the project’s cost increased to $4 million, 80% of the funding comes from federal and state grants, which he said saved several million dollars for New Lenox residents.

But not all residents are happy with the project.

The project has received increased criticism on social media, where residents repeatedly emphasized two concerns that people don’t know how to use a roundabout and that nearby railroad tracks could cause problems when a blocked crossing backs up traffic to the roundabout.

Baldermann said he’s been surprised by how fascinated residents have been with the roundabout project but isn’t too worried.

He said some residents said the project should have been completed in May, but said there was a lot of work, including removing structures and moving infrastructure such as utilities and pipes.

Baldermann said the roundabout at the new Crossroads Sports Complex in New Lenox has been working fine and said thousands of visitors use it.

“I don’t get the fascination myself, but if that’s what people are preoccupied by, I guess the village is running pretty well,” Baldermann said. “Most people have traveled roundabouts and, if you haven’t, it’ll be a pretty quick lesson.”

Village plans for the roundabout at the intersection of Cedar Road and Haven Avenue in New Lenox. (Village of New Lenox)

Paulsen said she doesn’t think the roundabout will be of any more risk than the “crazy” intersection before it.

While she said she is still nervous about roundabouts, she said has encountered a few previously where signs were helpful. She also said she has been assured by the village and studies conducted by the Illinois Department of Transportation that the roundabout will be safe.

She said she hopes the roundabout will give drivers options, keep cars moving and help beautify the area.

“I like the concept, and the area was really run down and I think this rejuvenates it,” she said.

As for any concerns about safety issues, such as car accidents, Paulsen said “we’ll have to wait and see.”

Paulsen said she and other neighbors have made sacrifices in the construction.

Paulsen said her driveway was torn up when some underground telephone wires had to be fixed. A set of historic brick steps leading from her yard down to the road were also removed. She said she salvaged some bricks, and she plans to repurpose them.

The construction vehicles also often park along the street and trap her car in the driveway, but Paulsen said when the happens, she just lets the construction workers know she is leaving and they are friendly and accommodating.

Construction on a New Lenox roundabout to replace the Cedar Road/Haven Avenue intersection. (Addison Wright/Daily Southtown)

Roberto Rojas, a foreman and machine operator on the project for the company Arteaga, said he has talked with the neighbors several times and hasn’t had any conflict. He said he is excited to see the roundabout open.

“Everybody’s happy because it looks very different than six months ago,” Rojas said.

Discussions about a roundabout at Cedar Road and Haven Avenue date back to 2012. Baldermann said it took several years to purchase residential and business land on the north side of Haven, just east of Cedar, as the project expanded beyond the borders of the previous intersection.

But it’s worth it, he said. The intersection has “messed up” traffic for over a decade, he said, mostly due to the offset roads on the intersection. Southbound Cedar cars were meant to follow an s-curve road with the right of way without stopping, but he said residents often did not realize and stopped.

Construction workers Salvador Rodrigues, Felipe Rojas, Adrian Royala and Jose Patino at the center of the roundabout at Cedar Road and Haven Avenue on Oct. 6, 2025. They have been working on the project since April. (Addison Wright/Daily Southtown)

Traffic was projected to increase from 12,300 cars traveling through the intersection per day in 2023 to about 18,000 cars in 2050, according to the village in 2023. Officials also said accidents and issues with pedestrians occur at the intersection.

Baldermann said landscaping work for the middle of the roundabout will include grass, a New Lenox village sign that reads “home of proud Americans,” a water component and flag poles.

Paulsen said her neighborhood plans to celebrate the roundabout’s opening in an event where they drive their cars or tractors around the circle.

“I’m glad it’s almost done, and I think it’s going to look really nice,” Paulsen said.

awright@chicagotribune.com

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/07/new-lenox-set-to-open-4-million-roundabout-by-nov-1/