Proposals included replacing the conventional traffic light intersection of North Main Street and Prices Fork Road with a roundabout, rerouting Kabrich Street into the Tech Terrace parking lot while closing that lot's access to Prices Fork Road, widening sidewalks and building pedestrian islands in newly built concrete medians and bringing the landscaping and general appearance downtown to the North Main Street area .

 Staffers gave residents comment forms to submit after the meeting, diagrams and plans exhibited proposed changes and representatives answered residents' questions.

 A computer-simulation animated video showed projected foot and vehicle traffic after the changes are in place.

 A court reporter was also present to take oral comments.

 Several residents were concerned the roundabout would lead to increased danger for pedestrians.

 "I've been to Paris, and the roundabout by the Arc de Triomphe is a nightmare to cross," said one Blacksburg resident who declined to be identified.

 "The roundabout will have plenty of lighting, it's designed to slow traffic to 15 miles per hour and we will have signs and clearly-marked crosswalks," said Blacksburg project manager Brandon Steele.

 "We designed this intersection with pedestrian traffic in mind," Steele said.

 Vehicle traffic troubled some residents, with several people concerned that nonresidents visiting during football season would be unused to the unusual traffic patterns created by a roundabout.

"We've found nationally that roundabouts have fewer accidents, and those accidents are less serious because of reduced speeds," said VDOT representative John Koch.

 The estimated total project cost will be $11.2 million, with $1.3 million set aside for preliminary engineering and $1.6 million for right-of-way acquisition and business and utilities relocation.

Costs for the project will be shared by federal, state and local authorities.

 "With this kind of project, the costs are usually split 80/18/2," Steele said.

 That means federal authorities pick up 80 percent of the total, while Virginia pays 18 percent and Blacksburg pays 2 percent, leaving Blacksburg's share at nearly $250,000.