By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Hays city commissioner Sandy Jacobs is a big supporter of traffic roundabouts.
It was part of her campaign platform when she ran for office and she has advocated for roundabouts in Hays since then.
The commission is scheduled to vote Thursday on the selection of a design engineer for a series of three roundabouts recommended for north Vine Street between 32nd and 41st Streets.
Jacobs spoke in favor of the project during last week’s work session. Towards the end of the meeting she said she’d also like to resurrect the discussion about a roundabout at 27th and Canterbury.
In early March, the commission decided against installing a temporary “mini-roundabout” at the location. At the time, Canterbury was scheduled to be restriped from four lanes to three following diamond grinding in April. After recent public outcry from some residents, commissioners voted 3-2 to amend a contract and keep Canterbury as a four-lane street.
“I’d like to see us put a permanent roundabout at 27th and Canterbury,” Jacobs said.
“When we were discussing it earlier this year, I sat out at Canterbury a lot. I sat at 27th and Canterbury, at 22nd and Canterbury, and I sat at HaysMed.
“Those people who drive 27th and Canterbury when it’s the busiest, use it like a roundabout.”
“They get in the right lane and go across the intersection, make a U-turn, come back and take the turn right. They’d do it just beautifully if it was a roundabout,” Jacobs added. “I think it would keep traffic moving at those times of day out there really nicely.”
Commissioner Shaun Musil said he has also seen the same type of driving on Canterbury.
Mayor James Meier echoed Jacobs’ desire to revisit the issue. He is a pharmacist who works at HaysMed and regularly sees the traffic congestion.
“I think in our earlier discussion it was the temporary nature of the roundabout that was more objectionable than the actual idea of it,” said Meier. “As I recall, it wasn’t a really expensive project if made permanent, maybe about $50,000.”
Project Manager John Braun told the commission he “reran the numbers because obviously the striping contractor has left and we were going to use those prices we had from the striping contractor for the street grinding.”
Braun’s new numbers use prices from the contractor for road micro-surfacing which will be done this summer on some streets.
“Those prices are surprisingly higher so we’re probably now talking in the $68,000 range,” Braun reported.
Meier asked if the airport’s new paint striper could be used instead and the work be done by city employees.
“We could do it in-house,” Braun answered, “but it would be challenging.” He pointed out the precision necessary for pavement markings in a traffic roundabout.
Commissioners asked Assistant City Manager Jacob Wood to place the item on an upcoming work session agenda.