Cape Girardeau City Council approves next phase of Minnesota/74 intersection upgrades

Cape Girardeau City Council members paved the way for Minnesota Avenue and Highway 74 intersection improvements with the unanimous approval of a first reading of an ordinance at their meeting Monday, Feb. 6.

The ordinance authorizes the city to acquire temporary construction easements and rights-of-way for property owners in the path of improvements. It will be added to the next meeting's consent agenda for formal passage.

The new intersection will realign Minnesota to connect with 74, and add in a deceleration lane, an island for right in/right out movements and a concrete traffic barrier.

City engineer Amy Ferris said in the meeting agenda that the improvements will help motorists' mobility to amenities east of Kingshighway and north of 74.

The project was the subject of a recent open house at City Hall, and a proposed map of the intersection was in the lobby of the building. Ferris, in comments to the Southeast Missourian at the end of 2022, said the feedback was mostly positive.

The intersection upgrades are a cost-sharing endeavor with the Missouri Department of Transportation with a 50-50 split. However, MoDOT's contribution caps at $296,000.

The project is expected to be underway in the summer.

Stormwater

Council members voted unanimously to approve the contractor for various stormwater improvements in Cape Girardeau.

Insituform Technologies USA LLC. was the lowest of four bidders for the project, which entails laying more than 24,228 linear feet of cured-in-place pipe lining, 1,134 linear feet of 8-inch sewer main replacement, service connection repairs and manhole linings and replacements.

In total, the project will cost around $2.64 million and is funded by a portion of the city's American Rescue Plan Act money.

Stan Polivick, director of Cape Girardeau Public Works, said the repairs are at the top of an $11 million list of stormwater improvements determined by a consultant hired by the city.

The director said the work isn't very invasive. The majority of the improvements are in the central and eastern portions — older sections — of Cape Girardeau.

"The repairs that we are going to do are going to be very permanent in nature," Polivick said. "This isn't something like filling a pothole, and you got to come back next year and fill it again. When we get these fixed, they'll be fixed for decades."

The work is expected to begin sometime in the early summer and could be done as early as spring 2024. Polivick said the contract will be for 18-months to account for winter slowing down the work rate.