Sometimes, after his morning classes end at Lion Hills Center, Austin Wilcher would easily miss his exit back home to Starkville.
Headed southwest on Military Road toward its intersection with Highway 182 — where dozens of orange barrels, yield signs and flying dust await — the 20-year-old turf management major at East Mississippi Community College often fails to turn right onto the highway ramp until it’s too late.
“Every time he goes through it, he definitely misses the turn,” said Wilcher’s friend Payton Smith, who rides with him to school.
The detour, Smith said, would cost Wilcher an extra 10 minutes.
“I’m just having to find somewhere, turn around. … Normally (the traffic) is always cluttered, so I’m going to have to find an opening,” Wilcher said.
The intersection Wilcher has trouble navigating is the construction site of a pair of “semi-roundabouts,” which are a part of a $5.8 million traffic improvement project fully funded by the Mississippi Department of Transportation that also involves a series of upgrades at 18th Avenue. Semi-roundabouts do not allow drivers to take a full circle around the central island if they miss their turns. Instead, those drivers will have to make a U-turn down the road to return to the circle.
Wilcher’s confusion is shared by many others. Dozens of Golden Triangle residents told The Dispatch via Facebook on Thursday they find the traffic pattern hard to follow. Some described the construction site as “a mess,” “waste of tax money” and “a complete s***show.”
Chris McDill, former Dispatch freelance photographer, who lives on Pleasant Hill Road, told The Dispatch on Thursday afternoon he finds it hard to see past the barrels when entering the traffic. Sometimes, drivers do not know when, or to whom, to yield, he said.
“Folks are yielding to vehicles they aren’t supposed to,” he said. “It’s a mess.”
During rush hour, McDill said the traffic could back up onto the ramp.
“If you have to get off the bypass at, say, 3 o’clock when school got out or 5 o’clock when folks are getting off work, if you have to go left to Bluecutt Road if you are going west, you know (the traffic jam) is going to be there,” he said. “It used to back up into the bypass.”
The construction, along with the frustration shared by many residents, may finally be over soon.
The semi-roundabouts, which the crew began constructing in February, are expected to be up and running by Sept. 15 after the progress was delayed by months due to bad weather, said James Gill, project manager with Gregory Construction. The crew now only has to establish the concrete roundabout islands and finish the curb and gutter, he said.
Gill said he hopes Columbus residents remain cautious until the project reaches completion.
“The way the barrels are set up now is pretty much complete with how the new roundabout is going to be set up,” he said. “Once we get completed, we’ll have curb and gutter and concrete ramps around, so hopefully that’ll help everybody accustomed to the way the traffic is slowing now once we get everything done.”
City spokesperson Joe Dillon told The Dispatch on Thursday citizens have been calling the city to inquire about the project completion date instead of complaining about the construction. The traffic pattern, he said, is just temporary.
“It’s not a roundabout yet, but we believe once it’s done, people will be really happy,” Dillon said. “The traffic pattern now is more of a challenge than it will be when it’s done. We thank everyone for their patience.”
Yue Stella Yu was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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