Downtown roundabout closed for accessibility improvements
Jun. 19—The roundabout at Main Street and 10th Avenue is closed while the City of Stillwater makes improvements to the nearby sidewalk and parking area.
Southbound traffic on Main Street can enter the traffic circle and turn right onto 10th Avenue, but all other entrances and exits are blocked.
City Manager Norman McNickle said the Salvation Army reported the sidewalk near its entrance wasn't accessible for people with mobility impairments.
The handicapped parking space along Main Street in front of the Salvation Army Family Store is being relocated around the corner to 10th Avenue so it's near a newly constructed sidewalk ramp, he said.
People using the spot previously had to get out of their vehicles on Main Street where drivers were approaching the roundabout. The nearest sidewalk access was a set of steps at the corner. Someone in a wheelchair or on a scooter would have to navigate the traffic circle to get to the sidewalk.
The project has no connection to damage the planting bed in the center of the roundabout suffered earlier this year when a vehicle struck it and no changes are being made to the roundabout's design, McNickle said.
The City of Stillwater is addressing accessibility issues it identifies with each transportation or public works project it does, he said. It also addresses problems as they're reported in other areas.
He cited the wide sidewalk extending north along Western Road from Sixth Avenue as one example of how the City of Stillwater is improving its infrastructure to make it more accessible.
It serves as a multi-modal path that accommodates bicycles, pedestrians and people on scooters or in wheelchairs and connects the neighborhood, which houses many students, with the Oklahoma State University campus.
Twitter: @mcharlesNP
