.jpg)
HARTINGTON — Area residents with concerns about the construction of a roundabout at the Highway 81, and Highway 12 intersection have a week to give the state their comments.
The Nebraska Department of Transportation recently confirmed plans to construct a $7.4 million roundabout at the intersection in 2027.
According to NDOT District Engineer Kevin Domogalla, the proposal follows a safety study prompted by a concerning number of accidents at the location.
"Due to the number of accidents we've had up at that intersection, we did a study on it, and a roundabout would be the best solution to mitigate those accidents,” Domogalla said.
Cedar County Sheri Larry Koranda said there are indeed a lot of accidents at the intersection, but he is unsure on how to best improve the road.
After a Cedar County News story was posted on-line about the proposal, over 200 area residents comment- ed on the plan. Most didn't agree with the idea.
Ed Bottolfsen, the former General Manager of Ra-Dec Construction and a former Hartington City Councilman, cautioned people to give the idea a chance.
'People do not like change,' he wrote. 'Has anyone taken the round about east of Oakland? Hwy. 77 has as much tra$c as Highway 81 round abouts have been around for many years and proven to prevent acci- dents. This will not slow tra$c on Hwy. 12 to Yank ton, especially compared to a four-way stop where the truck tra$c on Hwy. 81 would come to a complete stop. This round about would be large enough to accommodate the big trucks, too. Change is not always bad.'
Deb Addison, another former Hartington City Council member, urged area residents to fill out an online form to provide comments on the proposal NDOT o$cials said they evaluated other options, including installing a four-way stop, but determined that solution would not adequately address the issue.
“We had looked at a four-way stop that, of course, wouldn't solve the problem with people running the stop signs and it also does not warrant a four-way stop there,” Domogalla said.
The department is accepting public comments on the proposal through Thursday, March 19. Additional information is available at ndot.info/32409 or by con - tacting the NDOT District 3 o$ce at 402-370-3470.
NDOT o$cials encourage residents who frequently travel through the intersection to review the plans and submit comments before the deadline.
districts could face even higher hikes.
