STANDISH — Construction of a roundabout at the “high-crash” intersection of route 25 and Manchester and Saco roads has been put on hold for the winter.

Contractor RJ Grondin and Sons began work Nov. 7, clearing brush and removing logs. It will resume work, digging and excavating, in April, according to Ernie Martin, senior project manager at the Maine Department of Transportation.

The completion date is expected to be Aug. 23, 2019.

Martin said there were 17 vehicle accidents at the four-way intersection between 2016 and 2017.

A location’s crash rate — calculated by dividing the crash frequency by average daily traffic — is considered super critical if it is above 1, he said. The intersection’s crash rate is 4.57.

The Maine Department of Transportation identified the intersection as a high-crash location in August 2016. A preliminary meeting to discuss solutions was held in September 2016. The final public meeting was a year later, and the choice of a roundabout was confirmed. The state project was advertised this September and awarded to Grondin and Sons for $2,095,000.

A roundabout is the “best option for slowing people down. It’s wide open there now, so it doesn’t really slow people down,” Martin said. “The geometry of the roundabout will be 25 mph coming in and out of the roundabout, so that in itself is a traffic-calming solution.”

The intersection currently has a blinking yellow light along route 25 and a blinking red light across Saco and Manchester roads.

Standish Public Works Director Roger Mosley said, “I think it’s going to be a nice improvement for that intersection.”

Martin agreed.

“What you’ll see is that accidents might still occur, but the severity will be minor in nature. It hopefully will take high-intensity crashes right off the table,” he said.

Construction Superintendent Ray Allard of Grondin and Sons did not respond to requests for comment.

Jane Vaughan can be reached at 780-9103 or at jvaughan@keepmecurrent.com.

The intersection of route 25 and Manchester and Saco roads will be replaced with a roundabout in the spring.

RJ Grondin and Sons began clearing brush and removing logs in early November.