Council approves engineering study for Rolling Hills Road stormwater and paving; debate centers on traffic counts and safety

Lebanon City Council on July 14 approved a contract for preliminary engineering with Archer Elgin for stormwater improvements and pavement work along Rolling Hills Road north of Herndon Road, including study of a potential detention area and intersection safety solutions. Nut graf: Staff presented traffic-count data and pavement-condition scores to justify engineering work; council members asked whether the city should prioritize a targeted redesign of the Rolling Hills–Gateway/Highway 64 intersection and noted that MoDOT involvement and right-of-way acquisition will be required for some options. Public works staff member Mike summarized traffic counts on Rolling Hills Road, saying the corridor segment between Jefferson Street and Gateway carries about "1,284 vehicles per day," with counts north of Gateway roughly "a little less than 600 cars a day." He said the street's pavement condition is mostly "very poor" with one block rated "poor," and described recurring stormwater flows that wash out driveways north of Herndon. Mike said engineers would provide preliminary designs and multiple proposals and estimated about 45 days for a preliminary design deliverable. Council members raised safety concerns at the Rolling Hills–Gateway intersection and asked whether the town could prioritize about 100 feet of pavement at the highway approach or look at moving the intersection to the east, both of which would likely require MoDOT coordination and possible property acquisition. Mike said the city had counted traffic across 2021'025 and recommended prioritization by pavement condition and traffic counts, noting other streets have higher daily traffic. The ordinance approving engineering services with Archer Elgin was introduced and passed in two readings; staff said the goal is to have engineering approved by next spring with construction programming possibly in 2027. Ending: The council recorded the ordinance as Ordinance 71-13; staff will return with engineer proposals and timelines and pursue MoDOT coordination as needed.