CAPE RESOLVES TO PAVE 7 STREETS

Marian Clymer and her husband have lived on Bevin Drive for 34 years, and they are tired of the dust.

Bevin Drive is one of the Cape Girardeau's gravel residential streets. Some time this summer, the city plans to pave seven of them with four inches of asphalt.

This would fulfill part of the pledge city officials made when they sold the transportation sales tax to the voters -- paving the remaining gravel streets.

On Monday, the City Council passed seven resolutions declaring it necessary to pave those streets. Before construction can start, the council must hold public hearings and accept bids. Officials plan to open bids at 10 a.m. Aug. 12.

The seven streets on the list are

-- Vincent Avenue from Country Club Drive to Timon Way.

-- Flint Hill Road.

-- Country Club Drive from the club gate south to a dead end.

-- Redwood Drive from Vista Lane to Lear Drive.

-- Bevin Drive.

-- Cedar Lane.

-- Rand Street from Water Street to Roberts Street.

Flint Hill, Bevin and Cedar are dead end streets. Only Rand is in a position to have much through traffic.

Brian Strickland of the city's engineering department said the city plans to keep the streets at the same width to make the job easier. In some cases, that will mean they won't be wide enough to meet city standards.

The city plans to use the existing rights of way so it doesn't need to negotiate with property owners, said City Manager Michael Miller.

That way, the process is less complicated and the city can use its funds more efficiently, Miller said.

From an engineering standpoint, paving gravel roads is less complicated than upgrading other streets, Strickland said. The years of traffic have compacted the ground under the streets so preparing the surface for paving is easier than building a street from scratch.

Strickland said the city plans to install curbs and gutters where it is necessary for drainage but in most cases will stick with ditches and culverts under driveways.

Margaret Niswonger hopes the city builds one on Redwood Drive. Niswonger has lived there for seven years, and in addition to the dust, has drainage problems. She said the gravel street sits up higher than her yard and drains into her property.

The city plans to charge the residents $10 a linear foot for the paving. "That doesn't cover anywhere near the costs," Miller said.

He said once the construction begins, the project shouldn't take long.

Strickland said the city plans to pave at least this many gravel streets next year.