Jackson gets plans to improve traffic flow

Business Today

JACKSON -- An engineering firm studying Jackson's traffic problems has made preliminary recommendations that include building a roundabout near the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse and an additional left-hand turn lane on southbound Shawnee Boulevard at the East Jackson Boulevard intersection.

The ideas received generally positive responses May 22 at City Hall during a meeting of the stakeholders committee, a group of about 40 Jackson business and community leaders recruited to provide input into the Jackson Comprehensive Transportation Plan commissioned by the city earlier this year.

The plan is being designed by the St. Louis firm of Crawford, Bunte, Brammeier. Doug Shatto, vice president of the company, stressed that the engineers want to know how the community responds to the preliminary ideas before proceeding.

The initial ideas include the following, which the firm calls Highway 61 Town Square Alternatives:

-- Placing a traffic signal at Hope and Main streets along with left-turn lanes.

-- Channelization at Washington and Hope streets, using a median to divide traffic.

-- A roundabout at High and Washington streets.

Engineers said traffic around the courthouse is one of the primary trouble spots in the city.

The roundabout would have a larger diameter than a controversial version recently built in Cape Girardeau, Shatto said. That would enable it to accommodate the trucks that use the road. He estimated the cost of building the roundabout at about $100,000.

Chamber of Commerce President Ken Parrett endorsed the roundabout plan and said it would just require some changes in behavior.