Plans to improve the dangerous intersection at Winter Street and Route 53 have been on the drawing board for over five years without any completion date in sight. But recently, town officials learned that the design for a roundabout has been completed and has been submitted to the state Department of Transportation (DOT).

This latest step is a surprise to town officials and offers a glimmer of hope that something will be done to the intersection, which is the site of many accidents. “We thought this was dead,” said Town Manager Richard MacDonald. “This is the first communication we’ve had on it since whenever.”

This communication came in the form of an e-mail from the engineers designing the roundabout, GPI/Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. of Stoneham.  The senior engineer/project manager Joseph Johnson wrote to Duxbury Town Planner Tom Broadrick March 23 said he was “wrapping up the 100 percent design package… and will be submitting to Mass DOT early next week.”

Johnson also asked for help finding any town-owned bounds and traffic signs in the area and wanted to know if the town had a place to store them. Department of Public Works Director Peter Buttkus plans to store them at the DPW yard.

Back in 2009, the engineers held a public hearing about the design of the roundabout. This brought out neighbors who were optimistic to hear that something was finally going to be done to improve the intersection. At that time, MassHighway engineers said the design would be completed by the fall of 2010 and the roundabout would be finished in 2011. The cost was estimated at approximately $900,000, which was to be paid by the state. Yet, no further hearings were held and no work began.

Last week, Broadrick said he was surprised to hear that the design was done. He said the last time the town heard anything on the roundabout was March 2011 when the DOT called a meeting to review and discuss the relocation of utilities for this project.

“We thought it was moving forward, but it just died. Nothing happened,” said Broadrick. “Now all of a sudden without any notification from anyone it is at 100 percent design stage.”

The intersection at Winter Street and Route 53 is regarded as one of the most dangerous in Duxbury. From 2005 to 2008, there were 12 accidents, according to data from MassHighway. From 2009 to 2012, Duxbury police reported that there have been 16 accidents there.

The roundabout proposed by the state is designed to slow down motorists as they approach the intersection. Cars speeding along Route 53 are a major problem in the accidents that occur there.

A roundabout was used successfully at Lincoln and Congress Streets, which was also a dangerous intersection. It has been in place for almost 12 years.

Roundabouts differ from rotaries in that they narrow the flow of traffic by dropping a lane and they are angled so drivers must slow down upon approaching the circle. At  Winter Street and Route 53, engineers hope to slow traffic on Route 53 to 25 mph.

According to DOT spokesman Mike Verseckes, the proposed design is a single-lane roundabout consisting of a 20-foot wide circulating roadway bordered by a central island, which will be 65 feet in diameter.  The design also includes a 10-foot-wide mountable truck apron to accommodate larger trucks.

“Traffic signals had been considered to improve safety, but after study they were found to be unwarranted,” said Verseckes. “The proposed roundabout will improve safety while minimizing traffic delays at the same time.”

Verseckes estimated the project to cost $1.4 million. The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization Web site lists the cost at $1,083,899.

While town officials are glad to see some action on the project, they are not sure what this means for actually getting it completed and whether or not there is state funding for it.

Broadrick said he did not know why the engineers completed the design at this time; Verseckes could not answer this question either, and the engineers from GPI/Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. referred all questions to Verseckes.

Two weeks ago, Broadrick got the final plans for the roundabout. He is planning to meet with the town manager, chair of the selectmen, police chief and DPW director to discuss how the town can move the project forward at the state level.

“It all depends on budgets,” said Broadrick. “Where is the money coming from? We don’t know. But we want to make this happen.”