A big roundabout

The Missouri Department of Transportation is planning to build a highway roundabout at what is called the Blomeyer Junction where Highway 25 and Highway 77 intersect and where Nash Road (Route AB) will tie in when it's extended from the industrial area near the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. MoDOT engineers believe the roundabout will be safer and more efficient for vehicles than stop signs or signals. Work on the project is expected to begin in two years, and MoDOT is inviting public comment on the planned roundabout.

Both MoDOT and the city of Cape Girardeau have had experiences with roundabouts that have shown proper sizing is crucial. Cape Girardeau's roundabout at Gordonville Road and Silver Springs Road went through several reconstructions before the current version finally allowed smooth traffic flow. MoDOT had a similar experience with its roundabout on U.S. 61 in Perryville. It, too, had to be re-engineered to make it bigger to accommodate traffic.

This was one of the key points made by MoDOT officials at a recent public hearing on the Blomeyer roundabout: It has to be big enough to handle the traffic flow.

With that in mind, most people at the hearing thought the roundabout was a good idea -- better than having to stop for stop signs or signals.

Roundabouts, widely used in other parts of the country and around the world, are likely to become more prevalent on Missouri highways, and it's good to see the planners and engineers are heeding the concerns of motorists about doing them right from the start.