JACKSON WAITS ON SIGNAL EASEMENT

JACKSON -- An easement is needed from a property owner before traffic signals can be installed at the intersection of East Jackson Boulevard and Donna Drive, said a Missouri Highway and Transportation Department official in Sikeston.

District Maintenance and Traffic Engineer Mike Perry said Wednesday that a request for the easement was submitted about three weeks ago to D&D Investments Inc. The firm owns the property on which the Jackson Wal-Mart store is situated.

Perry said the highway department needs the easement from D&D Investments in order to place a utility pole for the traffic signal heads, control box, and traffic sensors on the property.

After the easement is received, Perry said it will take about three to four weeks to install the signals, weather permitting.

On a related matter, Perry said results of traffic surveys at the intersections of Hope Street (Highway 61) and East Main, and at Highway 34 and Route PP indicate there is not a sufficient amount of traffic during a 24-hour period to warrant installation of traffic signals at those locations.

Perry said replacing the four-way stop signs at the intersection of Hope and East Main with electric signals would not save motorists any additional time getting through the intersection. He said the same was true at the Highway 34-Route PP intersection.

The survey indicated the intersections are congested at certain times of the day, but at other times, there is little, if any congestion or backup of traffic.

Hope Street carries traffic moving through town on Highway 61. Traffic backups occur during rush-hour periods at Highway 34 and Route PP, as a result of motorists traveling to and from a nearby industrial complex.

Perry said the highway department will continue to monitor traffic flow at both intersections.