Carthage committee reviews bids for new roundabout

John Hacker, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·4 min read

Jan. 4—CARTHAGE, Mo. — Bids for a new roundabout at the interchange between southbound Interstate 49 and Route HH in Carthage came in lower than expected.

The bids were opened at Tuesday's meeting of the Carthage City Council's Public Works Committee, and City Administrator Greg Dagnan said city officials were nervous about the bids.

"We had to engineer and make cost estimates for this project about five years ago, and it was estimated at about $3 million," Dagnan said. "So it was a little nerve-wracking opening the bids because we knew that cost estimate was old, but the committee ended up selecting a company called Radmacher Brothers Construction out of Pleasant Hill, and their bid was $2,659,000."

The roundabout, which will serve the southbound ramps on and off I-49, Route HH and Dr. Russell Smith Way, the outer road that goes south to Mercy Carthage Hospital and beyond, is part of the agreement made several years ago with Schreiber Foods to get the company to build its $52 million, 415,000-square-foot distribution expansion just west of Hazel Avenue and George E. Phelps Boulevard.

The agreement called for the city and company to share the costs for strengthening and widening Hazel Avenue for about a quarter of a mile between Route HH and George E. Phelps Boulevard and a new roundabout at the I-49 interchange to make it easier for trucks to exit I-49 and get to the distribution warehouse.

The new roundabout is a cost-sharing project between the city and the Missouri Department of Transportation in which they will evenly split the cost of building the roundabout.

Dagnan said the city has already spent about $200,000 on the project for engineering fees to design it and land purchases for the right of way.

"We have all the right of way we need to build the roundabout," Dagnan said. "It's going to help with truck traffic immensely. I also think it's going to create an opportunity for development because if your job is to get those trucks on and off the highway, access is very important."

Dagnan said the northbound interchange between I-49 and Route HH, also known as Fir Road, is not as big a problem for tractor-trailers because they have to turn right there to get into town and right turns are easier because they only have to deal with traffic going one way.

Left turns from southbound I-49 to HH are more difficult because the big trucks have to wait for traffic to clear going in two directions, so a roundabout will allow trucks better access to that left turn.

Dagnan said the roundabout could eventually help the city develop newly purchased industrial park land south of Mercy Carthage Hospital.

"If you're headed north on I-49, everything stays the same," Dagnan said. "If you're headed south, the roundabout includes the exit ramp, Dr. Russell Smith Way and County Route HH (Fir Road). I also think it's going to create an opportunity for development because if your job is to get those trucks on and off the highway, access is very important."

Dagnan said the full Carthage City Council will likely consider the bid on first reading at its next regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and take a final vote on it at the Jan. 23 regular council meeting.

Other business

In other business, the committee accepted the city's seventh round of Transportation Alternative Program grant awards for new sidewalks in parts of Carthage.

This round will build sidewalks on the north side of Fairview Avenue from River Street to Pearl Street near Fairview Elementary School and the south side of Airport Drive from Grand Avenue to River Street near Carthage High School.

The total cost for the project is $616,945.74 with the city to pay 20% of that amount.

Previous rounds have built sidewalks along Grand Avenue near Walmart and the Fair Acres Family Y and on Pearl Street from Fairview to Airport Drive between Fairview Elementary School and the high school.

The seven phases date back to 2012, when phase one improved sidewalks along Garrison Avenue from Central Avenue to Fairview Avenue.

Phase five, for sidewalks on River Street between Fairview and Airport Drive, and phase six, which includes sidewalks along Route HH and Chapel Road between Steadley Elementary School and the residential developments along Chapel south of HH, are still under construction.