COUNTY PURSUES TWO NEW INTERCHANGES

The Cape Girardeau County Commission had a few tense weeks last summer.

The Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission had called upon it to make a judgment: The state wanted to know who needed an Interstate 55 interchange more -- Oak Ridge or Jackson.

Jackson already had two: one connecting it with Cape Girardeau and another with Fruitland. Oak Ridge didn't have any, forcing residents to make a drive of several miles over two-lane, curvy roads to get to the interstate.

County commissioners declined to choose at first, saying it was the highway department's job to make the call. But after discovering that both interchanges could be kept off the department's 15-year plan, they started doing research, studying traffic flow, cost and economic impact.

At a press conference June 30, Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones announced that Oak Ridge's ramps should be completed first. He said Oak Ridge already had an overpass, so adding exit ramps would be more cost effective than constructing an entire interchange.

Also, he said, Oak Ridge already was on the plan and should be kept there.

Following the press conference, highway department District 10 engineer Jim Murray said Oak Ridge could have an interchange between 1998 and 2001 if federal funds materialized.

Jackson officials weren't giving up, however, and they petitioned the highway commission to put their interchange on the 15-year plan, too. In October the commission said yes.

Cape County Commissioner Joe Gambill said the decision was surprising.

"We knew that, with Jackson's growth, an interchange there would justify itself in a very short time," he said. "But we were surprised they put both projects on so soon."

The decision opened up prospects for economic growth in the county, particularly in Jackson. City crews there are extending North Main Street to I-55, and it should reach it in about eight years.

Unlike the other two Jackson exits, this one will take visitors straight into the city's business district.

"You will see immediate building of businesses right on the interstate, things like motels and convenience stores," Jackson Mayor Paul Sander said. "Over a period of time the retail growth will move closer to the city, with more restaurants and maybe a shopping strip."

In addition, industries could build off the main road now that a new water tower is providing a good supply to the eastern part of Jackson.

Sander said he hasn't heard anything recently about the 15-year plan but believes the highway commission is watching progress on the road extension. It is up to Jackson to get right of way for the road and annex property near the interstate.

Meanwhile, Oak Ridge residents are rejoicing over their planned interchange. School Superintendent Roger Tatum helped lead the drive to keep Oak Ridge on the plan and now is a member of the Interstate 55-Route E Interchange Committee, a group dedicated to keeping the highway commission's attention focused on the Oak Ridge project.

"As a school superintendent, I was looking at more safety for our students," Tatum said. "But more people are moving into the county, so we need better access to the interstate."

The true winner in all of this will be Cape Girardeau County as a whole, said industrial recruiter Mitch Robinson. He expects to see more commercial growth around the new Jackson interchange and residential growth near the Oak Ridge interchange.

Even Cape Girardeau could benefit by connecting onto the other side of the Jackson interchange.

"Just look at the growth that goes along interchanges from here to St. Louis," Robinson said. "Unless it is a very rural location, there's always some growth."