Jackson aldermen discuss Shawnee/Main roundabout timeline

Plans to construct a roundabout at Shawnee Boulevard and East Main Street in Jackson are moving ahead, and a construction schedule was discussed at Monday's regular board of aldermen meeting study session.

Cochran Engineering's David Christensen had presented a potential schedule in February, and city engineer Clint Brown then prepared an estimated timeline based on Christensen's data and other information.

Brown said the project will require easements, and those can't be requested until construction plans for the roundabout are complete, “because we don't know exactly how much easement we need.”

Easement acquisition is likely to begin in May, Brown said, and estimated it could take about 90 days.

A major utility line must also be moved, said city director of electric utilities Don Schuette.

City administrator Jim Roach noted the line may be moved only in spring or fall, because of the load on the line.

That could be a factor in the timeline, depending on how easement acquisition goes, Brown said.

Advertising for bids will take a month, “as this is a significantly big project,” Brown said.

Brown said Christensen estimated five months for construction, not accounting for any weather delays.

That puts construction into winter 2020, Brown said, which could mean more delays than if the project were conducted over the summer.

The intersection would be closed during construction, Brown said, so ideally, construction will occur either before or after the Missouri Department of Transportation's planned project to install a diverging diamond interchange at center junction.

Traffic patterns will change during the disruption at center junction, Mayor Dwain Hahs said.

Hahs said more discussions will be held after easement acquisition, and a final decision will be made then whether to go ahead with construction before or after the center junction project.

“Whether we proceed or not, we'll need easements when construction begins,” Hahs noted.

In answer to Alderman Paul Sander's question about completion of the traffic signal at East Main Street and Oak Hill Road, Brown said completion is expected this summer, before school begins in August.

Other business

• Aldermen approved $16,500 to Allen & Hoshall of Memphis, Tennessee, to provide engineering services to move an electric line for the East Main Street and Shawnee Boulevard roundabout project.
• At 10 a.m. Thursday, a ceremonial groundbreaking will be held next to the Jackson police station. In case of rain, remarks will be held in the fire station truck bays, followed by a quick shovel ceremony outside, Hahs said.
• Road work is planned this week. One block of West Washington Street, between Court and North Missouri streets, will be closed Wednesday through Friday to allow Penzel Construction to assemble and erect a crane on the city street to continue construction of the Justice Center, said administrative services director Rodney Bollinger. Closure will be on the one block behind city hall's parking lot, and customers will have access to Jones Drug, city hall's teller window and Harold's Jewelers, Roach said.

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