Jackson aldermen approve pact for roundabout, see drawings

The Jackson Board of Aldermen on Monday night formally authorized a contractual agreement with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission as part of the roundabout project at East Main and Hope streets in uptown Jackson.

Eric Krapf, project manager with the Missouri Department of Transportation, also presented a progress report to the board, walking them through three-dimensional simulations of what the roundabout will look like when completed.

"We're in the process of acquiring 18 tracts of land on the project," Krapf said. "And 12 of them are signed already, and we're in talks about the other six."

"We don't see anything standing in our way of starting the project contractor's bids in March, and then beginning construction in May of 2016," he said.

He also explained MoDOT engineers have met with Jackson groups and business owners to ensure the project runs with as few inconveniences as possible.

He said the projected completion date is in the fall of 2016, so the winter 2016 holiday shopping season shouldn't be affected.

Parts of the project, such as lightposts, handrails and retaining wall fences, are not ones MoDOT typically uses.

They instead will use ones more aesthetically consistent with the rest of uptown Jackson.

Alderwoman Katy Liley advocated for the eventual contract to be based on a calendar-day schedule instead of a business-day one.

In her opinion, she said, a calendar-day schedule "makes [expectations and deadlines] more cut-and-dry."

The board also authorized a quit claim deed and general warrantee deed that shifted right of ways to their proper jurisdictions.

The former relinquished a small plot of land near East Main and Hope streets to MoDOT, and the latter concerned the city-owned half of a parking lot.

Some residents in attendance at the meeting Monday expressed skepticism about the roundabout's capacity to facilitate tractor-trailer traffic, but Krapf assured them the models had been designed with truckers in mind.

"We've done our due diligence to make sure semi-trucks can get around [the roundabout]," he said. "I can't speak for drivers, though."

tgraef@semissourian.com

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