Hopper Road to close for months during construction of Veterans Drive

Sue Phillips will have to make a lengthy detour to drive from her Twin Lakes subdivision home to her downtown Cape Girardeau job at a beauty salon.

Cape Girardeau city officials said Hopper Road will be closed to traffic at the Interstate 55 overpass beginning May 9 and likely not ending until fall.

"That is a long time," Phillips said, adding she wished the closing would be for a shorter period of time. "For me, the mornings will be worse."

The closing will allow for road construction that will extend Veterans Memorial Drive from Scenic Drive to Hopper Road.

R.L. Persons Construction Co. of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, will do the work at a cost of $1.68 million. Hundreds of trees along the hilly and ravine-filled area bordering the east side of I-55 have been removed to clear the way for construction of the street.

A city news release stated the closure "adds a few extra driving minutes to a handful of commuters within the city during the project."

Phillips said the road closure affects many residents who live in that area.

Phillips said Twin Lakes is one of several subdivisions in the Hopper Road neighborhood west of Interstate 55 where residents will have to travel a different route to work and to shop.

In addition, students at Notre Dame Regional High School often drive on Hopper Road and connecting county roads to reach the school, she said.

Jake Garrard, project engineer for the city, said signs will direct motorists to travel north on County Road 313 and exit onto U.S. 61 at the Center Junction between Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

Phillips said residents also could take the route that Notre Dame students use to reach Route K at a location west of the city.

Kingshighway and Route K are heavily traveled routes, adding to travel time, she said.

Garrard said the goal is to reopen Hopper Road as quickly as possible. Still, he said, that will take months.

Hopper Road has an S-curve near the overpass that poses a traffic-safety problem, Garrard said.

"There are line-of-sight issues," he said.

As part of the project, Hopper Road will be straightened to eliminate the curve.

Hopper Road will make a jog, connecting on the west side to Veterans Memorial Drive. Hopper Road on the east side of the new road will connect slightly to the south. Stop signs will be placed on Hopper Road at both intersections, Garrard said.

Motorists traveling south on Veterans Memorial Drive will be able to turn left onto Hopper Road without stopping, he said.

The project also involves construction of sidewalks on the north side of Hopper Road and the east side of Veterans Memorial Drive.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Hopper Road at Interstate 55, Cape Girardeau, Mo.