High school's new road likely to have late finish

The section of Silver Springs Road that runs in front of the new Central High School, and the lighting that will run alongside the road, are not likely to be completed by the first day of school on Sept. 3, said Cape Girardeau city engineer Mark Lester.

Lester told the Board of Education, at a joint meeting with the city council Monday, that the section of Silver Springs Road from Mount Auburn to the end of the Career and Technology Center should be finished by Sept. 29 at the latest.

The section from just beyond the CTC to South Kingshighway should be finished by the end of the year.

The board also learned the district will be required to pay approximately $239,000 for construction of the road.

When board member Mark Carver heard the road wasn't going to be finished until the end of September, he warned fellow board members to be prepared for negative feedback from taxpayers.

"The people who just paid $30 million for the facilities out there are going to be upset when they see the road is not finished when school starts," he said, referring to the $20 million high school and $11 million CTC.

Superintendent Mark Bowles said it is a hardship, but the district will find a way to manage for the first month of school.

"We had hoped it would be done on time for school to begin, but we suffer from the same issues the city does," Bowles said, "We don't have room to be critical because they have guidelines they have to follow. We know we're not the only project in town."

'Moving along'

City manager Michael Miller said even though the road won't be finished by the first day of school, the city will make a way for traffic to get to and from the schools.

"We'll create a temporary access if we have to until the road is done," he said. "We'll be able to get to the schools. We'll keep everything moving along."

Right now Silver Springs Road in front of the two schools is a two-lane blacktop street. It will eventually have four lanes and a center turn lane from Mount Auburn to just past the CTC.

Beyond the CTC to South Kingshighway it will have four lanes and no center turn lane.

Miller said a gravel road could be constructed alongside the construction area to allow traffic to enter the schools.

He also said the high school has another entrance off Mount Auburn that was paved last week that will provide an entrance for cars and buses.

"It may be dusty, but all access to the schools will be safe," Bowles said. "The city knows how to improvise. They're not going to leave us stranded out there."

Miller said once the road is finished the lights along the road will be installed.

But Bowles said not having lights at the start of school could cause safety problems. He said the CTC is already well-lit from parking lot lights, but the high school is not.

"We will have working lights, even if we have to bring in portable lights," Bowles said. "We'll do whatever we have to do to make sure we have a safe place for students and staff."

When the school board and city council met in October to discuss the new high school and surrounding areas the board was told it would be assessed for the construction of the road.

The city said it would cost the district $239,000, which could be paid with interest over 10 years.

Former superintendent Dan Steska asked the city to review policies and determine whether the district could be excluded from paying.

Miller said Monday that a mandate for the type of road construction on Silver Springs Road requires all property owners, regardless of type, to be assessed for the road.

No 'budget buster'

Mayor Jay Knudtson said he wished things could be different.

"We know the school district is not an entity trying to make money," he said. "That's why we're trying to find any kind of relief we can give you, but in this case the mandate prevents us from doing so."

Bowles said the district will have to work the payments into its budget, but that it will by no means be a "budget buster."

He said parents will be notified of road conditions as the summer progresses and the start of school nears in hopes that there will be no major traffic difficulties on the first day of school.

"Students have a lot of orientation days, so a lot of them will have been out there already before school starts," Bowles said. "But if we need to, we will provide some kind of map or explanation of what is taking place out there for the parents."

hkronmueller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128

The plan

Construction on Silver Springs Road from Mount Auburn to South Kingshighway will take place in three phases.

Phase I: The section of the road from Mount Auburn, past the new Central High School to the end of the Career and Technology Center will be converted from the current blacktop road to a four-lane road with a center turn lane by Sept. 29.

Phase II: The road from the end of the CTC to South Kingshighway will be converted to a four-lane road with no center turn lane by the end of the year.

Phase III: The intersection of Silver Springs Road and South Kingshighway will be reworked by the Missouri Department of Transportation to include turn lanes and traffic lights. The start and completion dates of this phase are unknown at present.