Roundabout construction at Highway 54 in Holts Summit leads to traffic issues, police say

HOLTS SUMMIT, Mo. (KMIZ)

The start of a construction project for a new roundabout at Highway 54 in Holts Summit has lead to traffic issues, according to a social media post from the Holts Summit Police Department.

Construction on the on/off ramp at Highway 54 in Holts Summit began Tuesday.

Route OO and the northbound Highway 54 on/off ramps at Route OO will be closed until June 30 to construct a new roundabout, according to a previous press release from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

In a social media post, the Holts Summit police department said that traffic was heavily impacted by traffic on the Center Street exit. Temporary stop signs have been placed on Center Street.

MoDOT previously said detour signs will be posted.

Josh Dobbins, a construction worker in the area, said the business he works at believes business will slow down as a result of the closure.

"It's gonna stop business coming in everyday with traffic and then after that, people are gonna be slowing down trying to get to where they need to be," Dobbins said.

The area near the ramp closure is surrounded by gas stations and fast food places, which typically depend on drivers stopping in after driving along the highway. A worker at Casey's said that because of this, the store believes that there will be a loss in potential customers.

Public information officer for the Holts Summit fire protection district, Brad O'Neal said that the closure will not delay response times for firefighters drastically.

"It would add maybe an extra minute just because, you know, in a residential area versus a highway where we can go 70 miles an hour," O'Neal said. "But really no farther than it is... by the time we get up to 70 miles an hour, we'd have to get right back off the highway anyway."

Some residents are concerned that drivers will speed in the area and result in more crashes. Other residents weren't aware that the ramp will be closed for a month, and were outraged when hearing so.

O'Neal noted he wasn't aware of any accidents since construction began on Tuesday, but that people do need to pay attention to the road signs to continue this trend.

"People just need to pay attention to the road signs. MoDOT's done a good job of marking when it's gonna be closed," O'Neal said.