In a nutshell
According to previous Community Impact reporting, Montgomery County Commissioner Robert Walker changed the design from a roundabout or traffic circle to a four-way traffic light in May.
- The reason for the design change was due to a higher price tag.
- The cost estimate for the original project went from $500,000 to $750,000.
- City officials hadn't heard about a design change until receiving a request for an electrical permit, they said.
"The last traffic study was two and a half years ago," Council Member Sara Countryman said during the meeting. "Commissioner Walker was surprised at that traffic study that there were nearly 15,000 cars that go through that intersection. I can promise you today that there's been a substantial uptick. We need to go to battle and say that we don't want a light. We want a roundabout."
Sorting out details
City Council members discussed areas where the city of Montgomery and Montgomery County could compromise on the intersection design to achieve the goal of building a roundabout.
- The city could fund the maintenance of the roundabout instead of the county, council members said.
- The city could fund the beautification process for the roundabout, council members said.
There was no action taken at the June 13 meeting. City Administrator Gary Palmer said he plans to sit down with city of Montgomery and Montgomery County officials to discuss the design. According to previous Community Impact reporting May 9, Montgomery City Engineer Chris Roznovsky said construction was expected to begin in October.
