Bay Area's high-tech new turbo roundabout sends crashes soaring
California 's first 'turbo roundabout' has sparked a surge in car crashes as drivers struggle to get the hang of the complex intersection in the Bay Area. Turbo roundabouts are circular intersections with multiple lanes and exits, designed to slow down traffic - contrary to its name - with the intention of improving road safety.
Before its remodel, the intersection of Highways 25 and 156 in the city of Gilroy in San Benito County had grown notorious for frequent collisions. In 2022, the site saw 45 collisions. It had about double the road traffic accidents of similar intersections across the state.
In order to tackle the issue, the California Department of Transportation, CalTrans, decided to implement the road feature, which was originally devised in the Netherlands . The state invested nearly $11 million into the project and started its construction in August 2023. By February 2024, the three-laned modernized roadway opened up to traffic. It has three-inch dividers between each lane to prevent drivers from switching over.
But the new roundabout was on instant disaster - nearly quadrupling the number of crashes at the busy intersection from 20 incidents in 2023 to 77 in 2024, The Mercury News reported. In March 2024, the first month after the tricky intersection debuted in the area, the site had 10 crashes - more than any other month over the previous six years.
That record was later beaten in December 2024, when there was 11 incidents. 'I haven't been on 25 since they started that... I completely avoid it,' Hollister resident Joshua Thrasher told KSBW in March 2024. His brother had been in an accident on the roundabout. He totaled his car after clashing with a semi-truck.
'The semi-truck is so high compared to such a low vehicle. I guess the guy didn't see him and he just merged,' he recalled. Another community member, Rick Meta, described the roadway as a 'free for all' as people were obviously disoriented while driving along the spiral road. Out of 2024's 77 crashes, 56 resulted in just property damage and the remaining 21 caused injuries, according to The Mercury News.
There have been no fatalities at the intersection since the turbo roundabout was built, which experts say actually makes it a success, not a failure as many residents may believe. 'If you’ve eliminated deaths and serious injuries at this location, this project is a success,' Julia Griswold, director of the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center at UC Berkeley told the outlet. 'There’s going to be fender benders, but the societal cost of those is far lower.'
In 2019, 2020 and 2023, one person died at the intersection each year. Zero died in 2024 or have died in 2025 so far. 'Back when it was a (stop)light, there were some severe fatalities,' commuter Toni Bowles told The Mercury News. 'It would be one in the morning and you would see three ambulances. 'I still see people in collisions, but they’re out of their car and their airbag isn’t even off.'
Kakan Dey, Michigan State University traffic researcher said this spike in minor crashes was anticipated. 'That’s a common characteristic when you convert an intersection,' Dey said. 'It’s perfectly normal for any roundabout.' The Gilroy turbo roundabout was the second to open in the US. The first is located in Jackson, Florida and was completed in February 2022. Turbo roundabouts first emerged in the Netherlands in the 1990s designed by Professor L.G.H. Fortuijn as a means of improving safety. They became so popular the Dutch government introduced their own guidelines for them and today there are around 300 in the country.
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