Two years after the Texas Department of Transportation initiated a traffic study to see whether a roundabout would suit the intersection of FM 1626 and Kohlers Crossing, the wheels are turning once again on the project. Kyle City Council requested in its regular meeting July 21 that city staff draft a resolution in support of the two-lane roundabout project at the intersection near the Austin Community College Hays campus and Hays CISD’s Performing Arts Center. Council members said their constituents have voiced opposition to the project, but the safety of roundabouts is a compelling argument in favor of them. “I have yet to see a single piece of actual data or factual information that suggests that a traffic light is better than a roundabout in this particular location,” Mayor Todd Webster said. "To me if there’s the potential to make a decision here that can impact … or save people’s lives, I will probably do that.” Webster, however, said that further information needs to be brought forward before the council issues support for the project. One aspect of the project that remains unclear is what it would cost the city to construct a remedy for the four-way-stop intersection, which was the site of 16 accidents in 2013, according to City Manager James Earp. Building a roundabout would cost more than installing a traffic signal, Earp said. In 2013 a roundabout would have cost $750,000. A traffic light would have cost $250,000, he said. The city would only be responsible for paying the $500,000 difference. TxDOT has said it will cover the cost of setting up a traffic light. He said he estimates the difference has grown to $700,000. Plum Creek Development Partners, which is developing that area of the city, said that it could provide the financing for the project. Earp said Plum Creek would then be reimbursed by TxDOT over time. But if the city chooses to construct a traffic light system at the intersection, it would have to pay for maintenance of the lights and the cost of electricity once the city’s population exceeds 50,000. With a roundabout, the city would not inherit any ongoing costs from TxDOT, he said. The council is expected to vote on the resolution at an upcoming meeting. TxDOT will move forward with the option council chooses, Earp said.