BIDS TO WIDEN MT. AUBURN WILL COVER BOTH 4, 5 LANES

Mount Auburn Road could be widened to five lanes, including a center turn lane from Independence to William streets, if the price is right.

The council approved an engineering addendum Monday night that allows the street project to be bid for estimates as both four and five lanes of traffic. City council members heard an update about the Mount Auburn Road project during a retreat Friday.

The road project is being funded through the Transportation Trust Fund, which is a half-cent sales tax that is used to fund major street repairs and construction in the city. In the original fund, 20 projects were listed and only three remain to be finished. Another 13 projects were proposed and approved by voters in August.

If Mount Auburn Road is made five lanes, the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce would be estactic, said John Mehner, president and CEO of the chamber.

But what the chamber would really like to see is five lanes for the entire length of Mount Auburn Road, he said.

Last summer, chamber advocated through its transportation committee that all of Mount Auburn Road be widened to accommodate five lanes of traffic. That project wasn't added to the Transportation Trust Fund but the city did agree to stripe the road for four lanes of traffic and to restrict on-street parking.

The city is asking for engineering bids now and will determine what is feasible -- five or four lanes -- after those bids are opened, said Mark Lester, city engineer.