Efforts to relieve congestion at busy intersection continue

The city of Jackson and the Missouri Department of Transportation are continuing to work together to improve U.S. 61 in Jackson and meet the project's latest completion date of summer 2016.

Plans call for the reconfiguration of U.S. 61 around the county courthouse and diagonally through the area where the Cape Girardeau County administration building stands today. A large roundabout or four-way lighted intersection are both possibilities in the reconfiguration designed to relieve traffic congestion at the busy intersection of U.S. 61 and East Main Street, as Jackson public works director Rodney Bollinger phrased it in an email Monday.

The project has long been at the top of the city's transportation priorities list, but has experienced its share of delays over the years. MoDOT's 2013-2017 Highway and Bridge Construction Schedule report listed 2014 as the year for construction to begin. The most recent construction schedule report said the project was delayed "due to coordination with outside agencies." The most recent construction award date is fall 2015.

In addition to its cooperation with MoDOT, Jackson also has been working with Cape Girardeau County. The county's needs assessment plan, which looks to update the courthouse and other facilities near the intersection, calls for potentially demolishing some older buildings and constructing new ones.

While the committee formed to assess the county's options has not formally selected a plan and a funding source has not been identified, officials said they are leaning toward tearing down the administration building and replacing it with a new section of U.S. 61. The county offices would be moved to a new courthouse, according to the plan.

The move would reduce congestion in uptown Jackson, eliminating the bottleneck that occurs at the four-way stop at the intersection of U.S. 61 and East Main Street. Although the county is coordinating with Jackson and MoDOT on the project, the decision on whether to implement a stoplight or roundabout rests with the city.

Bollinger said construction estimates for each of the design options is approximately $1.5 million. MoDOT and the city will divide the cost evenly.

The latest update on the project will be delivered by MoDOT officials to the mayor and board of aldermen Jan. 20.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

U.S. 61 and East Main St., Jackson, Mo.