Delay for Route K Gordonville roundabout

Missouri Department of Transportation officials say it will take somewhat longer than anticipated to start the planned $2 million new roundabout project at the intersection of Route K and Highway 25 in Gordonville.

Earlier this month, Chris Crocker, MoDOT area engineer, told the technical planning Committee of Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization (SEMPO) contract letting will be delayed from May until October.

MoDOT's designated project engineer for the initiative, Tim Pickett, told the Southeast Missourian the extra time is needed to work out details with property owners.

"We're working wtth CS Printing and Acee's convenience store across the street to adjust their access onto the roadway," said Pickett, who added the agency is also trying to come to agreement on necessary right-of-way permissions. "We want to make sure we take enough time to make sure everybody's happy."

Pickett said MoDOT, which had planned to begin moving dirt at the site by July, is now estimating site preparation will start sometime this December with job completion expected sometime in 2024.

At a Dec. 6 public input session at Gordonville Elementary, attendees were told the cost for the roundabout itself will be $750,000 to $900,000, but approach lanes and related improvements will push total cost of nearly $2 million.

The agency said construction will be done in stages, allowing the Route K/Highway 25 intersection to be usable during the entirety of the project.

At SEMPO's Nov. 16 meeting, MoDOT's Andy Meyer said the roundabout will address traffic issues noticed after the October 2021 finish of the Center Junction diverging diamond interchange -- resulting in what Meyer called "an uptick" in Gordonville traffic volume.