• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Leader

The Leader

Tipton County's Newspaper since 1886

  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Business
    • Churches
    • Courts
    • Education
    • Election 2024
    • Events
    • Local Government
    • Local Politics
    • Military
    • Public Records
    • Public Safety
  • Sports
    • All
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Cross Country
    • Fishing
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Soccer
    • Softball
    • Volleyball
    • Wrestling
  • E-Editions
  • Public Notices
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • Contact Us
    • Submit News
    • Advertise With Us
  • Where to Buy

This may be the year Atoka’s famed roundabout is completed

By Echo Day on January 8, 2020

There will be progress with the roundabout this year.

Or, that’s the plan.

Tetra Tech’s Dave Charville spoke during the Dec. 10, 2019 meeting of the board of mayor and aldermen, telling city officials it could be in as early as September.

First proposed in 2012, the project will convert the often-congested intersection at Atoka-Idaville and Rosemark roads from sign-controlled to a roundabout.

It’s been the subject of ridicule on social media sites, residents often asking about its progress.

The entire project has been at a standstill for years while the state worked on acquiring the right of way and reviewing a report on the presence of endangered Indiana bats in the area.

“I stay on the phone every day with something about the roundabout,” said mayor Darryl Walker.

Why a roundabout?

Though there’s no doubt something needs to be done to help move traffic in the area, especially during the school year, many have scoffed at the idea of a roundabout.

“Roundabouts are safer,” Charville said, reporting data from the Federal Highway Administration shows a decrease in the number of fatal collisions and increased efficiency when an intersection is converted from being sign or signal controlled to a roundabout.

What’s the general design?

In 2015, the town issued a request for qualifications for a design firm to oversee the project.

The roundabout will feature a single lane design with four legs – eastbound and westbound on Atoka-Idaville, southbound on Rosemark and an extension northbound at the Children’s Express Learning Center.

The northbound leg is a new addition to the original design, Charville said.

“We were originally going to do a driveway, but there’s actually an 80-foot platted right-of-way. I think, at some point, Rosemark Road is going to be extended, so we decided to actually extend the fourth leg of the roundabout north.”

There will also be a turning lane on the southbound leg into what will be a Fastimes gas station on the corner.

There will be a lot of lighting as well.

“We want to make sure it is well lit so people can see the cars coming and know when to yield.”

Charville is also proposing the inclusion of crosswalks in the design plan.

What’s next?

The project has passed several key approvals, such as the environmental clearance, and utilities have already been relocated.

The state still needs to approve the constructions plans and the right-of-way certification which means the town acquires the property for the project.

Town attorney Kasey Culbreath said the property owners have all agreed to it, but “we need to put pen to paper.”

Charville said he hopes both of those are completed by March, bids are approved in May and construction will begin in June.

He said the intersection will be closed during construction, which could be completed by September.

“We’re thinking probably 45-60 days.”

How much will it cost?

The cost, in 2012, was an estimated $600,000, Walker said at the meeting last month. The cost rose to $800,000 and then to $1.1 million.

The town is currently $195,000 short, but said grant funding could help make up $139,000 of the gap.

A health department grant has helped fund other projects in the town and may be able to fund the remaining $65,000.

Another presentation is expected to be made at the next meeting on Jan. 14.

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in the board room at Town Hall. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

Related Articles:

Send us your letter to Santa by Dec. 16! Class of 2021: Meet Munford’s Top 10 Track and Field runner Ryan Coley signs with Austin Peay State University Residents speak out against proposed 344-home subdivision in Atoka

Posted Under: News Tags: Roundabout, town of atoka

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search

Featured News

Brighton High fishing duo will compete for national title next month

May 28, 2025 By Jeff Ireland

Jaxon Sherfield, a … [Continue Reading...] about Brighton High fishing duo will compete for national title next month

Munford baseball finishes second at Class AAA state tournament

May 28, 2025 By Jeff Ireland

Saturday's Class 3A … [Continue Reading...] about Munford baseball finishes second at Class AAA state tournament

Brighton High grad Dalton Rushing now playing for reigning World Series champs

May 20, 2025 By Jeff Ireland

Making a Major … [Continue Reading...] about Brighton High grad Dalton Rushing now playing for reigning World Series champs

Covington softball team downs South Gibson, advances to state tournament

May 20, 2025 By Jeff Ireland

There were not a lot … [Continue Reading...] about Covington softball team downs South Gibson, advances to state tournament

Tags

auvic white black history braxton sharp brighton baseball brighton basketball brighton football brighton high school city of covington City of Munford coronavirus covid-19 covington Covington Baseball covington basketball Covington football covington high school covington police covington police station Election 2020 events homicide J.R. Kirby Jalen Fayne Jamarion Dowell jeff huffman john edwards Jordan Bell JR Kirby munford baseball Munford basketball munford football munford high school murder ronnie gorton sex crimes shooting Slade Calhoun tcso Tipton-Rosemark Academy Tipton County Museum tipton county schools tipton county sheriff's office town of atoka town of mason TRA basketball

Footer

The Leader is a weekly newspaper, published on Thursdays, serving Tipton County, Tenn. since 1886.

Contact us: news@covingtonleader.com

Editor’s Choice

Here’s how Home Depot and a team of volunteers helped make over CIAA

December 5, 2019 By Echo Day

Black History Month: Mason’s John W. Boyd went from slavery to the statehouse

February 7, 2020 By The Leader

Search

Copyright © 2025 · The Leader | Legacy Media · Log in