Cape roundabout will be smoothed out in early fall

~ Workers will add asphalt to the driving lane and trim the incline at one entrance.

Drivers of big rigs and school buses rejoice.

Sometime early in the fall, the roundabout at the intersection of Silver Springs and Gordonville roads in Cape Girardeau will be friendlier to large vehicles. As part of the city's annual overlay project, subcontractors will lay 4 inches of asphalt on the roundabout, making the driving lane flush with the inner concrete section.

Vehicles with large turning radii will then be able to mount the inner portion and more easily turn out of the circular roadway.

"The center was always supposed to be mountable, but because it is four inches higher it wasn't easy," said city engineer Jay Stencel. "It just gives trucks or buses an added inside lane to work with."

The project will also trim the incline at the roundabout's Silver Springs Road entrance. Motorists have complained of bumping the front of vehicles on the hump. Contractors will remove approximately one foot of depth from the incline, making for a smoother entrance.

The roundabout work accounts for approximately 10 percent of the city's $300,000 summer overlay work. Stencel said the overlay work is half-finished and will be completed within two months.

Contractor ASA Asphalt, in charge of the overlay work, said the Silver Springs entrance will be closed for no more than two days while the hill reduction is taking place.

In April, the city responded to criticism of the roundabout by widening the driving lane from 16 to 18 feet and replacing broken curbs and gutters.