East Main/Shawnee Blvd. roundabout construction delayed

Construction of Jackson’s second roundabout may have to wait more than a year until after the Missouri Department of Transportation builds the diverging diamond interchange at the intersection of Interstate 55 and U.S. 61 between Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

Jackson officials had hoped a planned roundabout at the intersection of East Main Street and Shawnee Boulevard could be built by March or April, before MoDOT starts its project to replace the interstate bridges and redesign the U.S. 61 interchange commonly known as Center Junction. It is expected many motorists will avoid the Center Junction construction zone and will instead access I-55 at the Main Street junction 2 miles to the north. MoDOT has indicated it wants to begin work at Center Junction in March or April.

But at Monday night’s meeting of the Jackson Board of Aldermen, David Christensen of Cochran Engineering, which is managing the roundabout project, said winter weather would probably delay the roundabout project. Christensen also said by waiting until next year to bid the project, the city will probably receive more and lower bids than if bids were solicited this year.

Rather than deal with the possibility of having the simultaneous construction projects at Center Junction and the East Main Street/Shawnee Boulevard intersection, the consensus among the aldermen was it would probably be wise to delay the roundabout work until MoDOT completes the divergent diamond interchange.

“The concern is that when the divergent diamond interchange project starts, there’s going to be a lot more traffic using East Main Street,” said Jackson city administrator Jim Roach. “The worst-case scenario would be to have it torn up during the Center Junction work.”

Roach and the aldermen said they hope to know more about MoDOT’s Center Junction construction timeline at the next meeting of the Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization (SEMPO) on Aug. 21 when MoDOT is expected to provide additional details about the project.

Cost of the new roundabout is expected be approximately $1 million.

In other business during their regular meeting Monday night, the aldermen:

• Conducted a rezoning hearing and approved a request from MAMCO Investments LLC to rezone property at 2370 N. High St. from C-2 (general commercial) to I-1 (light industrial);
• Accepted utility, right-of-way and construction easements related to the roundabout project at the East Main/Shawnee Boulevard intersection;
• Approved a motion approving the reimbursement of $75,000 to Cape Girardeau County for the purchase of 911 software for the city’s and county’s new central dispatch center;
• Approved a motion approving the reimbursement of up to $515,000 to Cape Girardeau County for the purchase of equipment related to the combined central dispatch center;
• Approved a task order authorization in the amount of $3,500 to Koehler Engineering & Land Surveying Inc. of Cape Girardeau for engineering services related to the Brookside Park topographic survey project;
• Approved an amendment to the city’s code of ordinances adding a chapter on wireless communications relative to small cell wireless facilities;
• Approved a motion reapproving the preliminary plat of the Jackson North Industrial Park Subdivision;
• Approved a liquor license request from Samantha Cruiz Marcial, doing business as Don Carlos Tres LLC at 1903 E. Jackson Blvd.

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