DEVELOPMENT SPURS STREET CONSTRUCTION

New street construction in Cape Girardeau was up this year thanks in large part to rapid development in several subdivisions.

James Tilley, chief inspector in the city's engineering department, said 10,500 feet or nearly two miles of high-grade concrete streets have been built this year with additional projects now under construction.

Last year, new high-grade street construction which includes curb and gutter and drainage work totalled 1.6 miles in the city.

"I think we're doing pretty good from what I hear of the economy in other cities," Tilley said. "It's been a very good construction year in terms of weather. We got an early start, and we've been able to keep going."

"I think we're very fortunate compared with other cities I've seen."

City Engineer J. Kensey Russell said one of the city's major capital improvements, Lexington Avenue, has progressed this year with another 2,500 feet of new street.

But, he added, developers also have built several streets to accommodate growth and new construction in various subdivisions.

"There's been progress on some of the major things like Lexington, and there have been quite a number of privately-funded streets," Russell said.

Four such projects have been completed in Summit, Woodland Hills, Randol Farms and Northfield subdivisions totalling 5,300 feet or just over a mile of new streets in the city's north side.

Also three commercial developments Rust Avenue, West End Industrial Park and the Mid-City tract just off Broadview have added another 3,650 feet of new streets.

Tilley said 3,100 feet of new streets now are under construction at Clarkton Place III and Stonebridge subdivisions, and 3,000 feet of new streets will be built this year at Chateau Girardeau and the Missouri Veterans Home.

Clarkton Place is on the city's west side just off Hopper Road and Stonebridge is a new subdivision off Bloomfield Road, also on the city's west side.

Tilley said the city's 1991 three-inch asphalt overlay program was finished this year in the downtown area with projects that totalled nearly $82,000.

Despite the new street construction, Russell said budget constraints have forced the city to cut back on the overlay program and delay several street projects included in the five-year capital improvements plan.

"We haven't done any new three-inch overlay contracts," he said. "There is an alley and a street that we're looking at doing as three-inch surfacing, but the program will have to be re-evaluated."

When the city council approved the asphalt overlay program aimed at paving gravel streets the city staff established criteria for the projects that could be included in the program.

Because the overlay improvements are funded through special assessments or tax bills to abutting property owners, the council set a cost threshold of $10 per front foot. Only those gravel streets that could be paved within that cost met the staff's criteria.

"We've completed all the streets that had met the criteria," Russell said. "To do more of the remaining streets, we'll either have to increase special assessments or work out the drainage and ditching through public works over time to get them in shape to do the work."

Aside from high-grade concrete streets and asphalt overlay projects, the city's public works department this year also increased the number of streets it paved through its one-inch asphalt overlay program.

Assistant Public Works Director Kevin McMeel said the program is a maintenance measure to resurface already paved, low-grade streets with 1 to 2 inches of asphalt overlay.

"We just started about a week ago on doing our overlays," McMeel said. "We ended up with about 27 blocks, and we've got nine done with the remainder to be done this fall and next spring."

The program will be used to improve sections of about 12 streets throughout the city, he said.

"A lot of them have been patched to where they can't be anymore," McMeel said. "They generally have a good base and we're just giving it a new wearing surface. It helps cut down the maintenance, and it's just a better driving surface."

Russell said the city soon will begin a few more major street projects, including the next section of Lexington from Perryville Road to Sherwood Drive.

"We think we'll be able to advertise that for construction this fall, with actual work probably starting sometime next spring," he said.

Also, the extension of Minnesota Avenue through Shawnee Park to Highway 74 and Whitener to Silver Springs Road will be bid for construction soon, Russell said.

The city engineer said the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department is close to letting the excavation contract for an Interstate 55 interchange with the new Highway 74 Mississippi River bridge route.

As that project progresses, Russell said the extension of Mt. Auburn Road to the new bridge route will move off the "back burner."

"The new street construction seems to be pretty healthy," Russell said. "A lot of that is market driven as new subdivisions open up.

"It really kind of puts us in a Catch 22." he added. "The more progress we make on capital improvements, the more money we have to dedicate to street maintenance. You hope an improved transportation network generates a strong economy to offset that."

Russell said city officials are hopeful the economy will rebound and provide additional general tax revenue for street projects.

Several projects previously included in the five-year capital improvements plan have been put on an "unfunded needs" list because of a drop in general tax revenue the past two years.

Some of those improvements include West End Boulevard, New Madrid Street, Perryville Road, Hopper Road, Broadway, Silver Springs Road, and Independence.

"The more the community grows, the more pressure there will be to improve those streets to relieve traffic congestion," Russell said.

He said the city also needs to evaluate the condition of its traffic signals. The current system has been in place for 12 years, and although the poles and lights are in adequate condition, Russell said the electronic controllers are worn and susceptible to breakdowns.

Whether the city can continue to expand new street construction and improvements to existing routes is largely dependent on financing.

Russell said he anticipates the need for some type of bonding or tax measure to enable the city to keep pace with growing transportation needs.

"It's hard to predict the economy and how the general revenue will rebound," he said. "I think that even with a good growth factor there probably would need to be a bond issue supported by the general revenue tax or a transportation tax in some fashion.

"I would expect we would need to have the vote of the community if we're going to do a lot of these projects in short order."