JACKSON MULLS CHANGING ROUTES OF TRAFFIC FLOW

JACKSON -- Northbound and southbound U.S. 61 in the heart of Jackson might be separated into one-way streets, and stop signs on the route would be eliminated under a proposal being considered to help ease mounting traffic congestion.

The plan, which city and Missouri Department of Transportation officials stressed is in the "kicking around" stage and might change drastically, would make northbound U.S. 61, Hope Street, one-way from Jefferson Street to the right turn from Washington Street just north of the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse.

At that intersection, vehicles going south on Highway 61 would turn right only, then left on Court Street in front of City Hall, left again on Main Street, right on South High Street and left on Jefferson Street before ending up with a right turn back onto Hope Street. Stop signs would be eliminated all along the way.

"The idea is to keep traffic flowing on 61," said Mayor Paul Sander, adding that there are four or five spots in town that become very congested two or three times a day.

"It's getting worse instead of better," he said.

Two of the troublesome intersections are the four way stop at U.S. 61 and Main Street, where traffic backs up during certain times of the day, and at U.S. 61 and Washington Street north of the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse. Vehicles stopped on Washington Street trying to go east and west through the intersection often have trouble getting across.

At the city's request, the Missouri Department of Transportation has been studying ways to move traffic through the city more efficiently. Splitting Highway 61 is the best solution the department has come up with so far.

"It pushes Route 61 traffic through town and manages to simplify the intersections," said Andy Meyer, a transportation project designer for MoDOT in Sikeston,

The city asked MoDOT to refine its original proposal. The engineers are scheduled to return with revisions within 30 days.

"We're really just looking at concepts and ideas," Meyer said. "It would take a lot more intensive design before we got something to implement."

Cape Girardeau County officials also are being consulted. One idea the city and county have talked about is making Barton Street, the street between the county courthouse and county administrative building, one-way northbound to allow for more parking.

In connection with the MoDOT proposal, the city also is mulling a proposal by the Jackson Merchants Association to make the 100 block of South High Street a one-way street going south.

A public hearing on that idea will be held Oct. 18. Sander said some action by the Board of Aldermen could occur in November.

The merchants' one-way proposal is designed to gain eight or nine additional parking spaces along South High Street by introducing angled parking on the east side. The plan also would alleviate problems northbound motorists on South High Street have getting onto heavily traveled Main Street.

"With so much more traffic, a lot of people are saying they couldn't find a place to park," said Ken Phelps, president of the association. Strickland Engineering helped the merchants devise the plan.

Phelps said the merchants also hope to get funding for beautification of the street through the Main Street Program.

He said the only problem they foresee is with delivery trucks. Some of the trucks park in the street to make deliveries, but the proposal would allow for only one lane.

Phelps said all the stores have alleys behind them where deliveries could be made, though there are steps between the stores and alleys.

If U.S. 61 traffic is routed onto South High Street as proposed, Meyer doesn't think angled parking will work because backing out of parking spaces creates sight problems.

Putting traffic signals at Highway 61 and Main Street was an option MoDOT considered and rejected.

"There is a great deal of traffic on 61 and about half as much traffic on Main Street," Meyer said. "That was a problem when looking at trying to do signals. We can't provide for both movements real well. It would back traffic through the square if we tried to put a set of signals through there."

Also rejected was the idea of creating a roundabout.

"We're trying to come up with something that will maximize the flow of traffic," Meyer said. "We're also trying to allow for pedestrian traffic, something that would be safe for them."

Sander said the city is still convinced that an I-55 interchange at the East Main Street Extension the city is building is a crucial need.

"Until we get (that) we have to deal with what we have," he said.

If changes are made, they probably would not go into effect until the first of the year, Sander said.