CHAMBER BACKS TAX FOR ROAD, BRIDGE WORK

Cape Girardeau's Chamber of Commerce supports a five-year, half-cent transportation tax to raise more than $16 million for city road and bridge projects.

The chamber's board of directors voted unanimously to endorse the 20 projects on the list during the board's monthly meeting Tuesday.

The chamber wants the transportation revenue put into a special fund to assure it will be spent for road projects.

The transportation tax will be placed on a city ballot Aug. 8.

Chamber President John Mehner said the chamber hasn't planned a transportation tax campaign yet," but a course of action would be established soon.

The ballot includes 20 road and bridge projects at $16.4 million and could reach nearly $20 million with contingency costs.

On the list of projects are sidewalk repair work, pavement of the city's remaining two miles of unpaved streets and curb and gutter repair, all based on a five-year program.

Also on the five-year program is the expanded paving overlay program, which will cost about $2 million, based on expenditures of $400,000 a year.

Some projects are included on the city's five-year, 1995-2000 Capital Improvements Program.

Projects range in estimated prices from a $32,300 extension from Silver Springs Road to New Highway 74, to a $1.249 million Perryville Road extension from near Meyer Drive to the city limits near the Hanover Church.

Another Perryville Road improvement project is planned from the city limits north to Route W and Cypress Drive, at an estimated cost of $903,700.

Two phases of Bloomfield Road work will cost more than $1 million. Phase I, from Christine Street east to Spring Street, will cost about $97,000 and Phase II Bloomfield Road improvements, Kingshighway west to Interstate 55, is expected to cost about $943,000.

Mount Auburn Road projects are on the list. The street will be widened to four lanes from William to Independence, with a traffic signal at the Independence. Other Mount Auburn improvements are scheduled between Bloomfield Road south to New HIghway 74 and extended from New Highway 74 South to Southern Expressway.

TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX PRIORITIES

1. Expand paving overlay program, $2,000,000 ($400,000 per year).

2. Pave remaining gravel streets, $1,100,000 (based on two miles remaining after August).

3. Street, curb and gutter repair, $1,875,000 ($375,000 per year).

4. Sidewalk repair and reconstruction, $625,000 ($125,000 per year).

5. Perryville Road, near Meyer Drive to city limits, $1,249,000.

6. Hopper Road, Phase I, new alignment from Mount Auburn west to Kage Road, $816,000.

7. Silver Springs Road, William north to Independence, $581,000.

8. Bloomfield Road, Phase I, Christine east to Spring, $97,300.

9. Broadway, widening and reconstruction from Clark east to Perry, $633,000.

10. Mount Auburn Road:

(A) Widening to full four lanes, William to Independence, $101,000;

(B) Traffic signals at Independence, $95,000.

11. New Route 74 connections:

(A) Lorimier, Morgan Oak to new Highway 74, $234,000.

(B) Mount Auburn, Bloomfield south to new Highway 74, $652,000.

(C) Siemers Drive, Bloomfield to new Highway 74, $858,500.

(D) Silver Springs Road, Bloomfield south to new Highway 74, $32,300.

12. Bloomfield, Phase II, Kingshighway west to I-55, $943,200.

13. Hopper Road, Phase II, Kage Road to I-55, $343,700.

14. William, general improvement and, or widening, Sprigg to Main, $445,600.

15. Perryville Road, city limits north to Route W and Cypress Drive, $903,700.

16. Kage Road, Mount Auburn to Hopper Road, $79,500.

17. Mount Auburn-Southern Expressway extensions:

(A) Mount Auburn, new Highway 74 South to Southern Expressway (extended west to Silver Springs), $700,000.

(B) Southern Expressway (Highway 74), extension west from Kingshighway to Silver Springs, $433,000.

18. Independence, reconstruction Pacific to Sprigg, including intersections, $304,700.

19. New Madrid Street, Reconstruction from Perry east to Show Me Center, including realignment of Henderson intersection, $713,700.

20. Rodney, new Cape La Croix Creek bridge and reconstruction from National Guard Armory north to Hawthorne, $594,900.

Total cost of priority projects: $16.412,700

Contingency funding: $3,182,540.

Total costs: $19,695,240.