Advertisement for bids to start soon for Fountain Street extension project

A lengthy approval process is finally over for the Fountain Street extension project.

Within two weeks, Cape Girardeau will advertise for contractors to construct the brick-paved, divided boulevard from William Street to Morgan Oak Street, city engineer Kelly Green said. The contract will allow for 180 work days, which will mean a summer ribbon-cutting if weather doesn't intervene, she said.

That schedule is dependent on affordable bids. A 28-day rule for advertising the project means the Cape Girardeau City Council probably won't be able to act until October, Green said.

Building a showcase boulevard from Morgan Oak Street, with access to the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus, was one of the earliest projects funded after Cape Girardeau was chosen as a DREAM Initiative city.

Federal funding through the Missouri Department of Transportation -- $491,964 from one pot, $104,068 from another for paving bricks -- meant a protracted design review and approval process, Green said.