ST. LOUIS – Roundabouts have been popping up at intersections throughout the St. Louis area for years and more are being proposed for the city. Members of the public have been invited to share their opinions on the road changes.
A historically high number of serious and fatal accidents along Natural Bridge Road and similar roads in the city can be attributed to speeding.
Officials have proposed placing a roundabout at intersections like Natural Bridge Road, Salisbury, and Parnell. Other roundabouts would be placed at Natural Bridge and Goodfellow, and Natural Bridge and Vandeventer.
A large portion of Natural Bridge Road sits in Alderman John Collins-Muhammad’s 21st Ward. He began a campaign more than two years ago to get the Missouri Department of Transportation and the city to make safety improvements along Natural Bridge.
“A roundabout takes up space. Right now, with the width and the space on Natural Bridge, it gives people the opportunity to go around cars, speed, drive double lanes, so this will make it a little bit more narrow,” he said. “It will command and control some of the traffic with this road safety barrier. And it makes it look a little bit nicer too.”
Collins-Muhammad said he believes residents and businesses along Natural Bridge will support adding roundabouts.
MoDOT will host a public meeting on January 22 at 3:30 pm at the Best Place meeting and event venue at 5795 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive.
The proposals could also include new crosswalks with flashing lights along Natural Bridge, new crosswalk striping, and a median.
Alderman Collins-Muhammad said the roundabout proposal would be expensive but he doesn’t have a dollar amount. He hopes to get approval by the end of this year and begin construction in 2021.
