Council considers traffic signal, intersection improvements at Paris and Waco roads
The Columbia City Council has introduced and had a first reading on proposed construction that members believe would make an intersection safer.
The intersection is Paris Road and Waco Road in northeast Columbia. Two major businesses near the intersection, 3M and Kraft Foods, operate on the east side of Route B and use large semi-trucks that enter and exit their plants.
Suggested improvements at the intersection include mast arm signals, raised islands, a pedestrian crosswalk and restricted turning movements for the driveways closet to the intersection.
“We had a couple fatalities in the nearby vicinity and that’s what we’re hoping to mitigate by giving people a more protected location to make that turn,” said Richard Stone, an engineering manager for the city of Columbia’s Public Works Department.
During a November public hearing about the proposed improvements, Councilman Ian Thomas asked if a roundabout would be better. A public works representative said that with the large trucks coming in and out of the intersection, a signal would be preferable. The council was also told that a roundabout would cost about $1 million.
“Roundabouts tend to be safer overall,” Stone said. “At this particular location, a roundabout wasn’t quite the right fit, mostly because we don’t have the funding to make such a huge investment right now.”
Paris Road, which turns into Route B, is a popular route for drivers traveling between Hallsville and Columbia. The number of cars on the road is anywhere from 10,000 to 15,000 each day.
“Signals aren’t perfect,” Stone said. “People can still make mistakes, run a red light. But by divvying up the green time, it is a little bit better alternative than what we’ve got out there now.”
The project’s initial cost is estimated to be $221,000, with annual upkeep estimated at about $3,000.
With no delays from council, Stone estimates that the project can begin in the spring and will take about three months.
