Another long street repair list next year in Cape

This year has been among the busiest in Cape Girardeau's history for street repair. City engineer Amy Ferris said residents can expect more of the same next year.

Ferris said the city and contractors are playing catch-up on Transportation Trust Fund 5 projects that were delayed by COVID-19 and employee turnover at the city and outside engineering firms while trying to stay on track with TTF 6 projects.

The fund is a half-cent sales tax renewed by voters in Cape Girardeau every five years since 1995 — TTF 5 was approved in 2015, TTF 6 in 2020.

The abundance of projects on the docket pushed the city to allocate around $20 million to help complete some improvements.

Ferris said the need for large-scale improvements is likely because of a lack of city codes in the past, a problem Cape Girardeau is not alone in.

"There's a lot of communities in the same situation, because roads were just put in as part of subdivision improvements, and there weren't really any standards that the developers needed to follow. And so they were built pretty much as cheaply as they can be built. And now the city has to fix it," Ferris said.

In 2010, city codes were updated to require built out foundations under streets rather than placing them on mud slabs.

A street is only as good as its foundation, Ferris said. That's why the city has been forced, recently, to do complete reconstructions on several streets rather than surface patchwork, she added.

Some improvements will slow down or stall for the next couple of months. Asphalt plants have closed for the year and won't reopen until the spring, delaying any projects requiring the material until then.

However, numerous renovations are still underway with a few larger ones looming on the horizon.

North West End Boulevard

The $4.6 million project will improve the roadway between Rose and Bertling streets, adding in additional lanes, sewer improvements and parking space, among other things. It is being handled by Fronabarger Concreters. Most recent work was on the sanitary sewer system beneath the street, Ferris said. After the sewer work is completed, roadway work will begin.

The city engineer said the construction is currently on schedule, but will slow down significantly until the spring. The project is expected to be complete at the end of next summer, according to the city's website.

Concrete repairs

Siemers Drive is completely finished and the crews have moved on to residential streets. Ferris said concrete improvements can be made through the winter on days where the temperature is above freezing.

Asphalt repairs

The aforementioned plant shutdowns will delay these improvements for a few months. Work began in October, and repairs have been completed on four of the 19 projects listed for this cycle — Garnet Lane, Spring Street and two on Quince Street. Four more are currently under construction. All projects are expected to be complete by June 2023.

College Street

The project has been completed and will likely be closed out with final payment at the next Cape Girardeau City Council meeting.

On the horizon

Both Main Street, Independence Street and Minnesota Avenue projects are still in the planning stages.

• The $2.1 million worth of renovations to Main will feature a full reconstruction of the roadway with new curbs and sidewalks. Ferris said there were some issues with design on the project that are being worked through. She said she anticipates it will go out for bid in early 2023.
• The Independence renovations will require significantly more planning and work. The goal is to ease traffic flow through the Independence corridor, which will include adding turn lanes and widening the roadway at the Kingshighway intersection.

The city will need to complete right-of-way and easement acquisitions along the street in order to complete the project, which will require negotiations with the businesses along Independence.

Ferris said the negotiations will be complex because the city wouldn't be simply impeding on a grass area but would need to alter parking lots in the area to complete the improvements. The city hired an appraiser for the properties and has received feedback, which will need to be reviewed by another appraiser. City officials are starting to make progress setting up negotiation meetings, Ferris said.

In total, the project is expected to cost $4.9 million.

• Ferris said the feedback from the November open house on the Minnesota Avenue/Highway 74 intersection improvement project was mostly positive. The renovations include removing the existing Minnesota and Brink Avenue at the intersections and establishing a new connection with 74 via a deceleration lane. The project will be a cost-sharing endeavor with the Missouri Department of Transportation and is expected go out for bid around the first of the year, Ferris said. Construction will likely begin around the beginning of next summer.