Consultant recommends two-way Main Street

A traffic consultant recommends making Cape Girardeau's Main Street two way from Broadway to William Street to provide easier downtown access for shoppers and visitors.

Douglas Shatto, president of the transportation engineering firm of Crawford, Bunte and Brammeier in St. Louis, made the recommendation to the city's planning and zoning commission Wednesday night.

Commissioners took no action, saying they wanted time to review the entire report before advising the city council.

Main Street currently is a two-lane, one-way street that runs southbound.

For Main Street to feasibly handle two-way traffic, the city needs to designate loading zones where trucks could park for delivery of supplies and merchandise to downtown stores, bars and restaurants, Shatto said.

The city also would have to eliminate all left-turn lanes at the intersection of Main and Themis streets because of the ornamental clock that stands in the middle of the pavement, he told commissioners.

The city council turned Water Street into a one-way, southbound road earlier this year in conjunction with downtown improvements that included the dedication of a history mural on the floodwall. But having two one-way downtown streets makes it more difficult for motorists to get around the downtown area, the consultant said.

Commissioner Harry Rediger agreed. "We knew that wasn't a good solution," he said.

Shatto said turning Main Street into a two-way road would improve traffic circulation. Motorists could complete a "circle" around the block without relying on Spanish Street, he said.

It also would provide a second northbound route through the downtown area and improve access from William Street on the south end of the downtown, Shatto said.

The traffic study focused on the area from the Mississippi River on the east to Spanish Street on the west, and from Broadway on the north to William Street on the south.

"We want to make it convenient for people to find the downtown area," Shatto said.

In other action, the commission recommended the city council approve the record plat of Randol Farms Tenth Subdivision, a proposed seven-lot development at the intersection of Abbey Road and Palomino Drive.

Commissioners on a 6-5 vote recommended the council allow the developer to build the homes without constructing sidewalks. Commissioners said the city allowed other phases of the development to be built without sidewalks.

The board also approved the preliminary plat of The Oaks, a proposed 23-lot residential subdivision along Derbyshire Lane.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123