Cape's Main Street traffic switches to two-way today

~ Loading zones, smaller turn radius are two issues involved in the change of traffic flow.

The signs are in place, the dividing line is striped and the loading zones are designated. Now officials can only sit back and cross their fingers. Two-way traffic on Cape Girardeau's Main Street begins today at 6 a.m.

The police department will have officers stationed on the street, and will park vehicles pointing northward to emphasize the changeover.

"You know, I never try to out-guess what the public is going to do," said public works director Tim Gramling. "We're going to be out there first thing Monday morning ... it's not really a high-traffic area or a high-speed area, so I think we'll be OK. People will take it slow."

Four 24-hour loading zones have been added to the area. Two larger zones the width of three spaces each are located on Main Street in front of Broussard's and The Billiard Center respectively.

The locations of these zones has been a source of frustration for some businesses. Billiard Center manager Jamie Dodd said he was not notified of the loading zone when workers began demarcating it Friday morning, and he doesn't like one being in front of his business. "Most of the time it's going to be dead space because all of the delivery is done before 4 or 5 p.m.," Dodd said. "... It would be nice if they had come down and consulted the businesses it's going to be affecting."

He said his business will not benefit from the loading zone because it has an area in back where loading is done.

City engineer Jay Stencel said the locations for the zones were selected because they included fire hydrants, allowing the city to minimize lost parking. He added that locations are not yet permanent and are being marked with tape instead of paint. The zones are necessary because motorists will no longer be able to navigate around idling delivery vehicles without veering into oncoming traffic.

Two smaller loading zones are located on side streets Themis and Independence.

One of the potential problems of the two-way switch is a tightened turn radius for large vehicles. In an effort to alleviate that hazard the city has eliminated two left-turn lanes. One of the lanes was at the intersection of Broadway and Main Street used by motorists making turns onto Highway 177. The second eliminated left lane was for motorists traveling south on Highway 177 and taking a left onto Water Street.

"We're hoping this will make things a little easier," said Stencel. "Now the east bound lane of Broadway is shifted 8 feet to the north, so a truck driver can make a wider swing."

Another change will occur at the Main Street clock. Motorists will no longer be allowed to make left turns onto or from Themis at that location. Signs on posts will indicate no left turns and signs on the clock bollards will warn motorists to keep right.

Stencel said today was specifically chosen as the starting date for two-way traffic because many downtown merchants are ordinarily closed.

tgreaney@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245