A roundabout that is part of a $15 million downtown traffic corridor reconfiguration has the potential to solve what has for many years been somewhat of a conundrum to area motorists.
The roundabout would be constructed at the intersections of Third and Fourth streets and Riverfront Parkway, allowing an easier flow of traffic inbound and outbound. It also would provide easier and safer access to outbound Riverfront Parkway.
The project, which also includes the widening of Fourth Street from three to four lanes and the closing of Third Street from Lindsay Street to Mabel Street, has been on the area’s Transportation Improvement Plan since 2000.
It’s not a done deal yet but could take a step forward next week when the City Council considers a resolution to pay $447,000 for engineering plans, which is about a fourth of what the federal government would kick in for the remainder of engineering costs.
In the end, since the project is on a regional transportation plan, the federal government would pay 80 percent of the tab. The city would have to kick in $3 million.