Cape city may install traffic signals at Veterans Memorial Drive in conjunction with I-55 interchange project

The City of Cape Girardeau may install traffic signals at Veterans Memorial Drive and U.S. 61 in conjunction with the state�s plan to redesign the nearby center junction interchange and replace the Interstate 55 bridges, officials said Monday.

Missouri Department of Transportation project engineer Jason Williams told the city council at Monday�s study session the amount of traffic on Veterans Memorial Drive doesn�t meet the traffic counts needed for the state to signalize the intersection.

He said the city would have to pay for traffic signals at that location. Williams said it would make sense for the city to do so in conjunction with the interchange project.

The project was one of two major improvements discussed by the council. The other was a new skate park.

The council at its regular meeting unanimously approved an agreement with American Ramp Co. to build a skate park in Arena Park that could cost more than $252,000. The council had twice before in recent years given preliminary approval to the idea, city officials said.

As for the highway project, Dan Drury, president of Midamerica Hotels Corp., which owns property adjacent to the SportsPlex, suggested construction of two left turn lanes on U.S. 61 to allow better flow of traffic coming to the SportsPlex.

Drury said he has been working with MoDOT regarding planned highway improvements.

�These guys have done a fantastic job,� Drury said of MoDOT staff.

He said his company is the principal property owner on both sides of the I-55 interchange.

Williams said the state agency looked at how best to redesign the aging interchange. After considering three options, Williams told the council MoDOT opted for a �diverging diamond� interchange in which the two directions of traffic on U.S. 61 will cross to the opposite side at the overpass.

This design would allow for better traffic flow onto the interstate ramps and would be less costly, he said.

MoDOT plans to replace the two 578-foot spans carrying Interstate 55 over U.S. 61.

By reconfiguring the interchange and eliminating the grassy median and moving the U.S. 61 lanes closer together, the new bridges each would be 173 feet, reducing the cost of construction, Williams told the council.

A new roadbed would be constructed under the shorter spans, with a concrete barrier constructed between the eastbound and westbound lanes on U.S. 61, he said.

After construction, MoDOT could sell the remaining right of way, which would no longer be needed, Williams told the council.

The redesigned interchange would include new traffic signals on both sides of Interstate 55, which would be synchronized to allow for optimal traffic flow.

Construction on the approximately $10 million project is expected to begin in the summer of 2019 and take two construction seasons, with completion expected by fall 2020.

City manager Scott Meyer, a former district engineer for MoDOT, praised the highway department�s interchange plan.

�What they have done here is really extraordinary,� he said.

Mayor Harry Rediger said, �We are going to get a lot more bang for the buck.�

Williams said MoDOT initially considered just replacing the bridge decks, but decided reconfiguring the entire interchange would provide for a more long-term solution.

In response to a council question, Williams said the design would not allow for expanding U.S. 61 to three lanes eastbound and westbound in the future.

Rediger welcomed the interchange project, calling it �a great upgrade.�

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Cape council opposes gambling expansion efforts

The Cape Girardeau City Council opposes efforts to expand gambling in Missouri, which city officials said potentially would threaten the economic health of Isle Casino Cape Girardeau as well as existing casinos elsewhere in Missouri.

The council approved two resolutions Monday, objecting to a proposal by the Osage Nation of Oklahoma to build a casino near Cuba, Missouri, and another opposing state legislation that would legalize placement of slot machines in bars, convenience stores and other establishments.

City manager Scott Meyer said in an agenda letter to the council the city is a member of the Home Dock Cities, a group of Missouri communities home to �riverboat� casinos and opposes expanding gambling to other locales in the state.

Meyer said the Osage Nation�s casino proposal and the �video lottery� bill conflict with �guidelines set forth in the Missouri Constitution and the repeated wishes of Missouri voters.�

Approval of the proposed American Indian tribe casino would come from the U.S. Department of the Interior, but would require support of the Missouri governor, Meyer said in an agenda report to the council.

Meyer said the resolution opposing the state bill would be sent to �the appropriate state legislators.�

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mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

Center junction, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Arena Park, Cape Girardeau, Mo.