The  Georgia Department of Transportation is proposing a third roundabout for Moultrie. It would be at the intersection of the Adel Highway and Coolsprings Road.

The cost is $2.5 million and it is all federal money. By the way, federal money is our money … at least some of it. We all contribute, and through projects such as this, it is reinvested in our community.

As we understand this proposal, it will go away if our local leaders don’t support the idea. This really is a no-brainer. We should jump on it.

   While roundabouts are relatively new to our community, they are used widely in Europe and other parts of the U.S. Transportation experts have provided data that roundabouts are proving efficient and safe as compared to other means of directing traffic at intersections.

DOT officials have specifically presented a model of their proposed project at this particular intersection. Their projection shows that the design of this roundabout can handle large trucks and even double-wides.

We have learned that the DOT is getting rid of four-way stops on state highways. Should our community reject this project and should the state remove the four-way stop and put it back to a two-way stop, then one can imagine the danger factor. Adel Highway is heavily used.

This is $2.5 million, part of which we have contributed to the federal coffers, that would be well spent and heavily utilized seven days a week, 24 hours a day  — unlike the white elephant we know as the intermodal facility which indeed was a waste of taxpayer money.

We encourage our City Council and our County Commission to promptly send a letter to DOT in support of this roundabout.