MOULTRIE, Ga. — For most of its 161 years Colquitt County was without traffic roundabouts; by 2021 it could be sporting its fourth.

With the approval by Colquitt County Commission last week, the Georgia Department of Transportation can move forward with a proposed roundabout that will replace a four-way stop at Highway 37 where it intersects with Industrial Drive and Cool Springs Road. The $2.5 million project will be paid for with federal funds.

The city already has three roundabouts: One at Spence Field that has been in use for many years, one on Fourth Avenue Northeast at Rowland Drive and County Farm Road that opened in 2011, and one on North Main Street at Sylvester Highway and First Street Northeast opened last year.

Proponents of roundabouts, and the government, say that they will increase safety and speed traffic flow.

“The Federal Highway Administration has determined that installation of roundabouts in comparison to other safety measures such as traffic signals resulted in a greater reduction in crash frequency,” according to DOT spokeswoman Juanita Birmingham. “A roundabout also reduces conflict among vehicles versus a traditional intersection, which results in fewer collisions.”

While DOT has not recorded any fatalities at the intersection during the 10 years from 2004 to 2014, it did see a large decrease in accidents when it added stop signs on Highway 37 to create a four-way stop.

From 2004 to 2008 40 crashes occurred, resulting in 26 injuries. Of the 40 accidents, 53 percent were angle collisions and accounted for the majority of the injuries, Birmingham said.

The four-way stop that went up in 2009 helped drop the number of crashes to 16, seven of which were rear-end collisions. Of the other crashes, five were angle and four were sideswiped, according to the DOT, Birmingham said in an email response about the intersection. Only three injuries were recorded.

About one-third of fatal crashes in the state occur at intersections, she said. And nationally crashes at intersections are 40 percent of the total and result in about 20 percent of traffic fatalities. Of those deaths, almost half are the result of angle collisions, which often involve vehicles moving at high speed and high-impact crashes.

The DOT expects to let the contract for the project in December 2019, with an 18-month period of construction.