Jackson gets plans to improve movement of traffic

ROUNDABOUT WAY

By Sam Blackwell ~ Southeast Missourian

JACKSON, Mo. -- An engineering firm studying Jackson's traffic problems has made preliminary recommendations that include building a roundabout near the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse and an additional left-hand turn lane on southbound Shawnee Boulevard at the East Jackson Boulevard intersection.

The ideas received generally positive responses Wednesday evening at City Hall during a meeting of the stakeholders committee, a group of about 40 Jackson business and community leaders recruited to provide input into the Jackson Comprehensive Transportation Plan commissioned by the city earlier this year.

The plan is being designed by the St. Louis firm of Crawford, Bunte, Brammeier. Doug Shatto, vice president of the company, stressed that the engineers want to know how the community responds to the preliminary ideas before proceeding.

The initial ideas include the following, which the firm calls Highway 61 Town Square Alternatives:

Placing a traffic signal at Hope and Main streets along with left-turn lanes.

Channelization at Washington and Hope streets, using a median to divide traffic.

A roundabout at High and Washington streets.

Engineers said traffic around the courthouse is one of the primary trouble spots in the city, especially when school dismisses at 3 p.m. and when people go home at 5 p.m. Traffic engineer Craig Holan demonstrated a computer modeling program that showed the level of service at the intersections, now rated at a level D, would improve to a level of B with the changes.

Rating A to F

The firm has rated the level of service at all major Jackson intersections on a scale of A to F, with A being the best.

Preferably, all three changes in the courthouse area would be coordinated at about the same time, Shatto said.

The roundabout would have a larger diameter than a controversial version recently built in Cape Girardeau, Shatto said. That would enable it to accommodate the trucks that use the road. He estimated the cost of building the roundabout at about $100,000.

Chamber of Commerce President Ken Parrett endorsed the roundabout plan and said it would just require some changes in behavior.

Shatto agreed. "None of this is going to be painless," he said.

The addition of a second left-turn lane from Shawnee Boulevard onto East Jackson Boulevard and the elimination of stop signs on Shawnee at Old Cape Road would improve the level of service at the East Jackson-Shawnee intersection from an E or F to a B, the engineers said.

The engineers plan to recommend yet unspecified changes at the following intersections:

Highway 61 North at Route D.

Highway 61 East at Michael Anna Street.

Highway 61 East at Gloria.

Farmington Road at Route D.

Farmington Road at Main Street.

Members of the shareholders committee were asked to fill out a questionnaire to be used to prioritize the goals and objectives in the plan. The engineering firm plans to return to the group in about two months with more definitive recommendations and will be prepared to take them before the public for reaction at that time, Shatto said.

Mayor Paul Sander praised the St. Louis company as "an outstanding, well-respected firm."

"They have a lot of good ideas," he said.

Sander said he has no preconceived notions about a roundabout.

"I'm open to all ideas."

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182