Cape Commissioners to meet with road and bridge board to discuss paving plan

A polite disagreement may be settled Thursday morning, when representatives of Cape Girardeau County's road and bridge advisory board meet with the commission to discuss 2009 paving plans.

On Monday, the advisory board reviewed recommendations sent to them by 1st District Commissioner Paul Koeper.

In his cover letter, Koeper expressed his support for the board's independence but also appealed to the volunteers to support his commitment to halt chip and seal paving for at least one year.

In 2008, some of residents living along some roads used to test chip and seal — a cheaper hard surface than asphalt — complained that the new paving was failing.

All but one road and bridge board member agreed to press on with chip and seal. On Thursday, they will present a plan to the three commissioners. The plan includes about six miles of chip-and-seal paving for $423,500 and about six miles of asphalt paving for $854,000.

The meeting is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. Thursday in the commission's administrative building chambers, at 1 Barton Square in Jackson.

For more on this story, revisit semissourian.com or read Thursday's Southeast Missourian.