Columbia to propose a new roundabout for Route K and Old Plank Road intersection
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
On Thursday, the City of Columbia leaders is scheduled to meet to get the community's input on a proposed roundabout in South Columbia.
The meeting is scheduled to run from 5:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. at Columbia City Hall.
The construction of the new roundabout is anticipated to take place in the Spring of 2025 according to the city.
During Thursday's meeting, the community will be able to look at design concepts and ask the city about any concerns they might have regarding the project.
According to Columbia, the goal of the project is to improve traffic flow by replacing the conflicting turning movements present at West Route K and West Old Plank Road with a roundabout.
According to the city, the roundabout will be a single lane with a diameter of 150 feet, 5-foot sidewalks, and splitter islands for safe pedestrian movements. The proposed roundabout will remove the skewed angle where West Old Plank Road meets West Route K, aligning it with Maple Meadows Drive according to the city.
The City of Columbia also says the hill on Route K will be slightly lowered to improve sight distance coming into the roundabout's west leg while reconstructing the West entrance of the Leatherwood Hills-Little General gas station to line up with Vermillion Drive. Finally, a turn-around will be constructed at the end of the existing Old Plank Road in order to maintain access to the three existing properties.
Because MoDOT maintains Route K and Old Plank Road is supported by Columbia, the project will be paid for through the MoDOT Cost-Share Partnership Funding Program.
According to the City of Columbia, the cost share program allows MoDOT to commit funds to a project for proposed improvements not included in MoDOT’s 5-year plan but would benefit the state system.
As part of the partnership, Columbia says they will take the lead on the design and construction of the improvements and will also provide a 50% match of the funding, allowing the city to save half on the project.
