Cape P&Z Commission OKs $21.5 million roadwork package

The plans for the most expensive project proposed for the next round of Cape Girardeau street construction aren't very satisfying for anyone involved.

When voters go to the polls in August, they will see a ballot measure extending the city's half-cent sales tax for road construction, commonly called the Transportation Trust Fund or TTF. The Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission, after more than a year of work, on Wednesday evening approved a $21.5 million package of 12 major projects and funding for minor work such as asphalt overlays and sidewalk replacement.

The list now moves to the Cape Girardeau City Council, which is expected to approve sending it to voters with few changes. Few of the projects have generated more than cursory discussion in public. But when the talk turns to Bloomfield Road -- also known as County Road 205 -- nobody seems happy.

Jeff Timmerman, who lives on the road, has documented accidents, emergency calls and drainage issues that he says are only getting worse. His home is southwest of the intersection with White Oaks Lane along a section that is not slated for improvements during the next round of construction funding. Any project that does not widen the road all the way to Highway 74 has the potential to make some of those problems, especially safety issues, worse, Timmerman said while attending an open house on the plan at Cape Girardeau City Hall.

County Road 205 is a narrow asphalt road lined with ditches and trees maintained by the Cape Special Road District. A project to widen the street and rename it Bloomfield Road as a Cape Girardeau city street is being done in phases. The next phase will begin in the spring when work begins to reconstruct it to Benton Hill Road. When the city work is complete, the city will become responsible for the maintenance.

This section of Bloomfield Road west of White Oaks Lane will be straightened if Cape Girardeau voters approve a half-cent sales tax to continue the Transportation Trust Fund projects. (Fred Lynch)

Under the proposal slated to go to voters next year as TTF-4, continuing the reconstruction from Benton Hill Road to just past White Oaks Lane is included at an estimated cost of $3.4 million. The cost estimate is based on the city building a 32-foot-wide street, with curbs and gutters as well as storm drains and an eight-foot asphalt hiking and biking trail.

Timmerman wants more -- he wants the road, which is seeing increasing traffic coming into Cape Girardeau from the west off Highway 74, widened all the way to the state highway.

Drivers "will use the wide road as a racetrack as they try to get to those narrow lanes first," he said.

Cars speed regularly on the 35 mph road, he said. His mother was rear-ended trying to get into his driveway, he said.

Timmerman, an EMT and paramedic, said safety is his big concern. The narrow lanes block emergency vehicles once traffic is backed up, he said. "First responders can't get to accidents because there is too much traffic."

The safety issues along Bloomfield Road are not new to city planners. The project for next year's ballot has already been extended once, to make sure that a blind hill and curves beyond White Oaks Lane are included to increase safety. And the road is at the top of the priority list, meaning it would be one of the first projects to get underway if voters approve the tax extension.

"We have heard a lot of concerns that we won't be fast enough," city engineer Kelly Green told the commission.

The city is in talks with Cape Special Road District to add signs and flashing lights warning motorists to use caution, she said. If voters approve the tax, the city will meet with landowners along the road to determine what is the best plan.

"We estimated based on a 32-foot road, with curbs and gutters," Green said. "Maybe that is not what we need. Maybe 28 feet will do and we can extend the limits of the project."

Commissioner Harry Rediger, said the final ideas will come from those meetings with landowners. "We are looking at Bloomfield creatively," he said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent addresses:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO

5400 County Road 205, Cape Girardeau, MO