BRIDGE ROUTE MOVING FORWARD

A new section of divided four-lane highway through the south edge of Cape Girardeau could be completed in 1995.

Tom Stehn of the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department told members of the Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission Wednesday that the state will start work on the new Mississippi bridge route between Sprigg Street and Kingshighway next year.

But it's still unclear whether work will start on the new bridge anytime soon.

"We're still waiting for funding for the bridge from (the Illinois Department of Transportation)," Stehn said.

The Missouri Highway and Transportation Department is ready to begin bridge construction in 1995. The estimated $80 million project would take about five years to complete.

Stehn said work on the bridge route from the river to Sprigg and from Kingshighway to Interstate 55 would commence at the same time so that the entire route would be completed as the bridge is finished.

That's provided Illinois agrees to pay its share of the bridge construction. What if it doesn't?

"That's a question our highway commission and chief engineer have to be asked," Stehn said. "I don't know.

"Missouri is trying to get the additional funds from the feds, but until it's secured we'll stop at Sprigg Street."

The planning and zoning commission discussed the new bridge route during a special study session in which commissioners looked at the city's five-year capital improvements plan.

Because of the potential delays in the bridge route, commissioners asked whether street extensions to the new route should be pushed back to free funding for other projects.

The city staff already has started survey work and has prepared right-of-way acquisition plans for an extension of Mt. Auburn Road to the new Highway 74 bridge route.

"Couldn't some of the money for that project be moved back until 1996?" asked commissioner Harry Rediger.

He said he would prefer to spend the money to widen and improve Perryville and Hopper roads.

City Engineer J. Kensey Russell said design and engineering for the Perryville Road project could be done "fairly quickly," but land acquisition "is a little more difficult to deal with."

But Rediger and other commissioners said the city needs to set aside at least some money to start the project.

Another major project in the plan is completion of the Lexington Avenue arterial project in 1995. That will include a North Sprigg extension to Lexington. A Hopper Road widening and extension project also is in the five-year plan at a cost of $1.3 million.

Tom Mogelnicki and other commissioners said improvements to William Street east of Sprigg should be added to the plan.

"We need to get William Street widened from Sprigg to downtown," Mogelnicki said. "When we get a riverboat (casino), that's basically the only access we've got to the boat.

"We know we're getting the riverboat, and if we don't start planning now we'll never get there."

Assistant City Manager Doug Leslie said that project could be tied in with any riverboat operator's proposal to the city.