Projects planned in Jackson

Cities really need to plan ahead! Our comprehensive plan is a guideline for 20 years in the future, and the water system facility plan is for 15 to 20 years.

When we have these long-range plans, we often divide them into phases so that we can do a phase at a time as the funding becomes available.

Following is a timeline on one such project to give you an idea of the planning and work that goes on for years to accomplish a long-range plan.

The city has been working since 1999 on various parts of South Old Orchard Road to upgrade it to an arterial street to form an eastern beltway and provide relief for traffic through the city, as well as making safety upgrades.

The first Phase was implementing the TIF District to fund the road construction from East Jackson Boulevard to Buchheit's, including the three-way traffic signal on East Jackson Boulevard.

The next phase included the improvements of the road from Buchheit's to the water tower, which was completed in 2005.

The next phase included an asphalt overlay on the existing road from Bainbridge Road south to the water tower, thereby upgrading an old gravel road. This phase was completed in 2009.

The next phase was the $1.2 million street project between East Main and the Williams Creek Bridge. This phase was completed in 2011.

The next major improvement on South Old Orchard Road will be the Williams Creek Bridge Replacement project. The bridge is undersized for the traffic use it receives. This includes school buses and fire safety equipment from Fire Station No. 2.

This road also is a designated truck route so it has lots of truck traffic. For safety issues, this is a high-priority project, and it will complete upgrades to this outer road from East Jackson Boulevard to East Main Street.

This nearly $1 million project is being funded through the TIF District and is scheduled for completion in 2015. It has taken more than 16 years to complete the planning and construction of these phases of the project.

With this major transportation project nearing completion, the next transportation project is already in the works.

Public works director Rodney Bollinger has been negotiating for several years with MoDOT to acquire a Break in Access Permit on the south side of the traffic light at the intersection of East Jackson Boulevard and South Old Orchard Road.

This permit would allow us to get started on the development of a road from East Jackson Boulevard to Old Cape Road East, which would be the start of a southern beltway through the city. This new street would include the activating of the fourth arm of the traffic signal at East Jackson Boulevard.

Rodney Bollinger and several of the property owners in the area met with MoDOT to discuss this development, and MoDOT has agreed to grant the Break in Access Permit upon the city's payment of an $18,750 maintenance fee. This will allow planning, designing and preparing this project for bid. Hopefully, this will lead to additional economic development in our TIF District 1, as well as safer access to and from East Jackson Boulevard and Old Cape Road East.

Barbara Lohr is the mayor of Jackson.