CITY MAY SEEK ROADS TAX EXTENSION

City officials may ask Cape Girardeau voters to extend the Transportation Trust Fund sales tax if the 20 designated projects are completed on schedule.

So far, work is progressing right on time.

Work is under way on rebuilding Perryville Road, and the project should be completed Dec. 21.

"I think we're sitting pretty good," said city engineer Mark Lester.

Traffic control through the construction area from Meyer Drive to the city limits has been a problem as people keep driving along the closed section of roadway, he said.

"I guess they're curious," Lester said.

The next major trust fund project will be the extension of Hopper Road from Mount Auburn to Kage Road.

Design work has been completed on the Hopper Road extension, and now the city is working to acquire right of way for the project, Lester said.

In 1995, Cape Girardeau voters approved a five-year half-cent sales tax for new road construction, major repairs and road maintenance and upkeep.

Residents and city officials designated 20 top-priority construction projects, along with sidewalk, curb and gutter repairs, paving of gravel streets and street overlay projects.

Mayor Al Spradling III called the trust fund program "very successful." He said the projects have benefited the entire community.

"If everything goes as planned with the current projects, it's our hope that we would ask for another five years to do another series of projects that would be identified similar to what we did in the original planning stages of the trust fund," Spradling said.

Projects could include suggestions that didn't make the top 20 in the last round of planning, as well as new ideas for road construction and improvements, Spradling said.

Officials from Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Cape Girardeau County last month presented the Missouri Department of Transportation with a list of 19 priority road projects aimed at improving traffic flow around the county. If MoDOT agrees to the package, some of the city's share of the work could be financed through an extension of the transportation sales tax, Spradling said.

This year's overlay project will include resurfacing 13,119 linear feet of streets around the city. Apex Paving has already started the overlay work.

Lappe Cement Finishers will be building 3,753 linear feet of sidewalks, 2,250 feet of curb and gutter, 41 handicap ramps and 11 alley entrances under this year's curb, gutter and sidewalk contract.

A lot of work is going on now to improve travel through Cape Girardeau, but driving through all the construction work is not a lot of fun, Lester concedes, adding he gets caught by detours as well.

Between the closing of Perryville Road and traffic detours for the overlay program and the combined sewer overflow program, the city is seeing the busiest summer construction season Lester can remember.

Most of the projects on the trust fund list won't be as extensive as the Perryville Road project because they involve new construction, not reconstruction of an existing roadway, he said.

But there will be some inconvenience. The widening of Broadway from Perry to Clark is coming up, and the work will be "a nightmare" for motorists, Lester said.

Transportation Trust Fund Projects Status Report

-- Hopper Road Phase I, Mount Auburn to Kage

Final design has been completed. Right-of-way acquisition is continuing, and all property owners have been contacted. Further design work may be needed due to land acquisition. The reconstruction of the Kage/Hopper Road intersection will be bid separately.

-- Silver Springs Road, William to near Independence

Right-of-way drawings are complete and negotiations have begun. Staff is completing construction plans, and construction is targeted after Hopper Road is bid.

-- Bloomfield Road, Christine Street to Spring Street

The final design engineering is complete, and easement acquisition has begun with easement plats and descriptions being completed. Construction is anticipated this summer.

-- Broadway widening and reconstruction

Two public meetings have been held with property owners. Right-of-way descriptions have been written and title searches are n progress. Bid documents are being prepared.

-- Mount Auburn Road A and B, widening and traffic signal

Koehler Engineering and Land Surveying is preparing the plans and specifications. Construction bidding is targeted for late summer.

-- New Route 74 connections

Lorimier Street: Construction of this segment is tied to completion of the new river bridge, currently scheduled for 2000 or 2001.

Mount Auburn Road from Bloomfield south: Most of the right-of-way has been acquired with negotiations continuing. Some design changes will be made due to land acquisition.

Siemers Drive from Bloomfield south: Construction is finished with only the final paperwork needed to complete the project through an agreement with the city and an adjoining property owner.

Silver Springs Road from Bloomfield south: A design engineering contract with Koehler Engineering was awarded in October 1997. The design is complete with construction expected to start as soon as right-of-way acquisition is complete.

-- Upgrade Bloomfield Road from Kingshighway to Interstate 55

The preliminary design has been completed, and a public meeting has been held with adjoining property owners. Final design and right-of-way descriptions are being completed by Black and Veatch Engineers.

-- Hopper Road Phase II, Kage Road to I-55

The project will be done in conjunction with Hopper Road Phase I. Construction will be scheduled later to coincide with scheduling and funding availability.

-- New Madrid Street, Show Me Center to Perry

The reconstruction of the New Madrid/Henderson intersection is complete. The remaining section of New Madrid west of the intersection is scheduled in the Capital Improvement Program.

Projects scheduled in the Capital Improvement Program as funding becomes available:

-- William Street, improvements and/or widening from Sprigg to Main

-- Mount Auburn/Southern Expressway connections

Mount Auburn from New Highway 74 to Southern Expressway

Southern Expressway from Kingshighway to Silver Springs Road

-- Rodney Street from new Cape La Croix bridge and reconstruction from the National Guard Armory to Hawthorne.