Independence Street to be open during fair week amid roundabout construction

The contractor for the Independence Street roundabout will work around the SEMO District Fair schedule, Cape Girardeau deputy city manager Molly Hood said Monday.

Hood said the plan now calls for “holding off the closing of Independence Street until after the fair.”

The fair runs from Sept. 10 to Sept. 17.

Independence Street is a well-traveled artery in Cape Girardeau. Fairgoers often travel through the Independence Street and East Rodney Drive/Gordonville Road intersection to reach the fairgrounds at nearby Arena Park.

The Cape Girardeau City Council voted in mid-May to award a contract to Fronabarger Concreters Inc. of Oak Ridge to build the roundabout at a cost of more than $741,000.

City officials said federal funds from the Missouri Department of Transportation will pay 80 percent of the cost. The city will pay 20 percent.

But city officials were unable to give the contractor notice to proceed last month because of a bureaucratic oversight that required Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and federal Department of Transportation officials to approve the project before work could begin.

The Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization (SEMPO) must approve all local transportation projects that involve federal funds.

The organization accidentally left the project off the list of transportation projects it had approved, lengthening the process and requiring added approval from state and federal officials.

SEMPO covers the cities of Cape Girardeau and Jackson and portions of Cape Girardeau and Scott counties, plus the village of East Cape Girardeau and Alexander County in Illinois.

The city of Cape Girardeau received final approval of the roundabout project last week, clearing the way for work to begin.

Hood said city staff have discussed the “timing of the project” with the contractor.

City officials had expressed concern the bureaucratic delay could prevent completion of the roundabout before the beginning of the fair.

Hood said utility relocation work will have to take place before roundabout construction can start.

“I think sometime in July we will start seeing some work out there,” she said.

The contractor is expected to do some work on the East Rodney Street and Gordonville Road sections this summer, necessitating the closure of those roads, Hood said.

But she added East Rodney Street will be reopened to traffic during fair week.

Hood said the Gordonville Road side of the intersection likely will remain closed throughout most of the project.

The deputy city manager said she understands closing that intersection may prove an inconvenience for motorists, no matter when it is scheduled.

“That is the thing with road construction; there is never a good time to do it,” she said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

Independence Street and Gordonville Road intersection, Cape Girardeau, Mo.