The Iowa Department of Transportation is seeking a federal Highway Safety Improvement Plan grant to change the Hwy. 1 roundabout into a single lane rather than double lane, with a projected bidletting of fiscal year 2023. The improvements are being explored as a potential for crash reduction.
Mount Vernon city administrator Chris Nosbisch said if the IDOT were to receive the grant and proceed with the project, the city will work with the IDOT to ensure repairs can be made to bring the roundabout to a single lane roundabout, as opposed to the double lane roundabout. The estimated costs to the improvements of the roundabouts is $100,000, according to the grant application, taking into account construction cost increases since 2018.Mount Vernon city council member Eric Roudabush asked if the improvements to the roundabout will include damages that have happened to the curbs at the roundabout because of road construction on the new Hwy. 30. Nosbisch indicated they would.
Mount Vernon city council member Debra Herrmann asked if the city would have any say as to what is included in the center of the roundabout.
Nosbisch said any repairs to the roundabout will not likely begin this year, but could be completed in 2022 or 2023, depending when the DOT is able to bid out the project.
In 2018, MSA Traffic and Roundabout Engineering company completed a study of the current roundabout and evaluated the types of crashes that happened in the roundabout.
The report indicated 22 percent of the crashes at the roundabout at Business 30 and Hwy. 1 were crashes with injuries. The national average is 8 percent.
Business 30 was Hwy. 30 when the roundabout was built, and with the new Hwy. 30 completed, the expectation from MSA is that traffic at Business 30 and Hwy. 1 could move to a single lane.
Improved painting and signage for the roundabout was also recommended.
Roundabout repairs being bidded by DOT
July 15, 2021
About the Contributor
Nathan Countryman, Editor
Nathan Countryman is the Editor of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun.