Drivers now have a curve added to their drive along Route 202 west of Concord.
Months of work at the intersection of 202 and Route 127 at the Henniker-Hopkinton town line has turned a sharp angular intersection into a roundabout, one of more than 40 of these circular roadways that have built in the state in recent years.
Traffic was shifted to the roundabout last week although work continues on items like finishing the roadway islands, getting the street lights turned on and planting grass, said Ron Guyette, contract administrator for the Department of Transportation.
The project is known as a hybrid roundabout because the east-west travel on Route 202 will keep two lanes in each direction but the north-south travel on Old Concord Road, also known as State Route 127, will have just one lane in each direction.
The intersection, just west of the Contoocook River, is notable to many because of its relatively isolated Dunkin restaurant. Improving it has been a topic of discussion for years, with public meetings held by the state as far back as 2021.
The roundabout is totally in Hopkinton but touches the town border. Weaver Brothers Construction Co. of Bow is the contractor for the $5.64 million project.
