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Residents press Town of Harrisburg on Roberta/Main/Woodside plans; staff says roundabout funded and outreach to follow
Summary
Multiple Woodside Drive residents urged the council to protect neighborhood safety from a proposed Main‑Street connection and Roberta Road roundabout; town staff said the Roberta roundabout has MPO funding, design would begin in spring with public outreach and a multi-year right‑of‑way process.
Residents of Old Harrisburg pressed the council during public comment about a proposed connection and a funded roundabout that could change travel patterns near Woodside Drive.
Jeff Miller, who identified himself as a longtime resident, told the council that adding a new connection ‘‘is going to add traffic, and I think that this is not the best idea,” and urged staff to consider pedestrian and mobility needs for children and residents who use wheelchairs.
Town staff told the meeting there is no item on tonight’s agenda to approve a cut‑through or a Woodside connection. Rob (town manager) and the town engineer explained the two related efforts: a planned Roberta/Main traffic improvement (funded by the Metropolitan Planning Organization for about $2.8 million) and a longer‑standing conceptual connection of Main Street to Woodside that appears on plats dating to 1961.
Rob said design would not begin immediately; typical federal‑funded project steps — design, environmental review, rights‑of‑way and public involvement — can make the process take roughly four years to reach construction. He pledged multiple public meetings and committed staff to neighborhood outreach before any final design or right‑of‑way acquisition.
"This area here has been… contemplated in the plat from February of 1961," Rob said, explaining the connection has been in planning documents for decades but that neighborhood protections would be part of design.
Residents raised practical concerns: Woodside is narrow, lacks sidewalks, and already sees construction‑related disruptions; speakers asked how the town will prevent a new route from becoming a high‑speed cut‑through. Staff offered a list of traffic calming tools — narrowed lanes, four‑way stops, speed tables, planting buffers and selective access controls — and said the engineering team will test options and host public meetings (including neighborhood sessions) well in advance of construction.
The town also emphasized immediate work on Roberta and Parallel Drive improvements intended to add turn lanes, medians and right‑in/right‑out controls to reduce congestion and limit cut‑through incentive.
Staff committed to announcing public meetings through the town web site, social media and direct outreach (door hangers) and said they may hold meetings at local venues to make participation easier for residents.
