UPDATE: Mayor's Office says Drunk Driving Involved in Roundabout Crash

11/12/2012 (Updated 11/13/2012 4:56:53 PM)

Ever since the roundabout reconstructed part of Court and Exchange streets to help ease traffic flow in downtown Binghamton, not everything has been going round and round the way it should.

Monday night a  vehicle crashed in the area, and caused damage to a portion of the landscaping along the roundabout.

At news time Monday night, police hadn't released any information on what caused the crash, how long the vehicle was, or if it was related to the tight turn.

But on Tuesday morning  Andrew Block of the mayor's office provided details of how the crash occurred:

"The motorist in this accident was drunk and apprehended by police. Again, the accident is unfortunate, but could have happened anyway. It really has no more to do with the roundabout than a telephone pole or anything else that inebriated motorists crash into," said Block.

Although the mayor's office indicates the design of the roundabout was not a factor in Monday's incident, the tight turning radius has drawn criticism in the past.

A trucker Fox40 spoke with told us that signs are needed to warn drivers that any truck over 28 feet long will have problems, and 53 foot tractor trailers are just too big to negotiate the turn properly.

The mayor's office says the city takes all precautions to notify motorists of the traffic rules and recent changes.