Grant to help pay for paving roads at Jackson industrial park

Access to Jackson’s South Industrial Park will be improved thanks to a matching grant announced this week by the Delta Regional Authority as part of the organization’s economic development assistance program.

The $137,825 grant will help pay about half the cost of paving two gravel roads at the industrial park, which is near the Jackson city limits.

The project has an estimated cost of $270,325 and will result in the paving of about 1,100 feet of County Road 330 along the south edge of the industrial park between South Farmington Road (Missouri Route PP) and 450 feet of Seabaugh Road between County Road 330 and Lenco Avenue.

According to Jackson administrative services director Rodney Bollinger, the City of Jackson will provide $58,690 for the roadwork while the balance will be paid for by Cape Girardeau County and the Missouri Department of Transportation.

“The City of Jackson believes that providing matching funds for the purpose of constructing these roadway improvements is important to the growth of the industrial park and will improve opportunities for business and industry for the overall improvement of Jackson,” he said.

Upgrading the industrial park roadways from gravel to pavement will make them better suited to handle truck traffic.

Current tenants of the 55.7-acre industrial park include Signature Packaging, American Railcar Industries (ARI), Coca-Cola, H&H Services, Midwest Sterilization, Langford Mechanical and Sheet Metal and B&B Door.

Bollinger said he believes the pavement project will take place “sometime in 2020.”

The DRA grant for the industrial park road upgrade is one of nine grants totaling $1.2 million the agency announced this week to help pay for all or a portion of various infrastructure enhancement and workforce development projects in Missouri. The other eight projects are in Caruthersville, Charleston, New Madrid, Ste. Genevieve, Piedmont, Springfield, West Plains and Jefferson City.

“Our administration has continued to focus heavily on improving workforce development and infrastructure,” said Gov. Mike Parson in a news release about the DRA grants. “To make Missouri more competitive, we are making strategic investments in these areas that will drive growth going forward. We appreciate Delta Regional Authority’s $1.2 million investment in our communities, which will help Missouri’s needs and improve economic growth.”

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