Cape to get $5.3 million in MoDOT projects from stimulus package

Cape Girardeau will receive $5.3 million in transportation stimulus projects under a spending plan approved Thursday by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission.

Meeting in Springfield, Mo., the commission made few changes to the draft list discussed during public information meetings March 10 across the state. The commission approved $577 million worth of construction statewide.

MoDOT is expecting $525 million from federal stimulus spending. In a news release, District 10 engineer Mark Shelton said the department included projects in excess of that amount to take advantage of opportunities to obtain money other states cannot use. In addition, he said, bids for MoDOT projects have generally been running 10 to 15 percent under projections.

"MoDOT built an extra 10 percent into the statewide project list to make sure we could go after funds other states don't spend," Shelton said. "But even if those funds don't become available, we're still committed to delivering every project on the list."

In Cape Girardeau, MoDOT will spend $442,000 to put a layer of asphalt on William Street, also known as Route K, from Kingshighway to Interstate 55. The department allocated $2.2 million to widen and resurface Route W from Lexington Avenue to LaSalle Avenue.

The spending plan also includes $1.6 million for runway rehabilitation at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport and $1.1 million to build a high-water rail line at the SEMO Port Authority to keep the port in operation during moderate floods.

During last week's public information meeting, Jackson city officials complained that no projects that they desired were on the list. At that time, Shelton said the projects Jackson wanted were not ready or were more costly than the stimulus plan would support.

"The final list of stimulus projects is all about putting Missourians to work fast," MoDOT director Pete Rahn said in a news release.

Fitting projects into stimulus plan rules as well as meeting the commission's guidelines for distributing funding around the state also made late changes in the project list difficult, Rahn said.

"In the end, we came up with a balanced project list that will put people to work and make our transportation system better and safer," Rahn said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent addresses:

William Street, Cape Girardeau MO

Route W, Cape Girardeau, MO

10 Bill Bess Drive, Scott City, MO

Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, Cape Girardeau, MO