Jackson to follow Cape lead on lights

The drive to Jackson isn't as dark anymore, thanks to the city of Cape Girardeau.

The stretch of North Kingshighway from the Lexington Avenue/Mount Auburn Road intersection to the city limits of Jackson is lit by 61 new 250-watt street lights.

Not to be outshone by their sibling city, Jackson officials are looking at doing the same from the Johannes Auto Sales to the Cape Girardeau city limits.

Jackson public works director Rodney Bollinger sent a letter Thursday to the Missouri Department of Transportation to ask about sharing the cost of the project.

Don Schuette, Jackson's director of electric utilities, has estimated 1.6 miles of lights would cost roughly $200,000.

Cape Girardeau paid $177,000 for its new lights. The city paid the total amount from its Transportation Trust Fund II money.

Bollinger said the project is not budgeted for this year, but the project has been put on the fast track after Cape Girardeau's recent improvement and the upcoming Center Junction lighting project that will illuminate the entire interchange. That project has already been approved by MoDOT. MoDOT is paying for that project in the long run, although both cities put in up-front money to get the project done this year.

However, there are too many unknowns to accurately predict when the lights might be put into place.

Bollinger said he doesn't figure MoDOT will fund the entire project. But he said it is a state-operated highway and hopes the two entities can share the costs.

Cape Girardeau did not ask MoDOT to help fund the project.

Scott Meyer, MoDOT district engineer, said MoDOT doesn't typically help pay for street lights. It has agreed to do the Center Junction lighting for safety purposes.

"As far as I know, we've never done anything for street lighting like this," he said.

Jackson Alderman Kerry Hoffman said he thinks the board will pursue the project with or without MoDOT's help.

"I think we should," he said. "I don't think we could do it this year because it hasn't been budgeted. I drove back from the joint meeting with Cape the other night and it was so neat to have those lights out there. We're going to get the interchange lit up and then it will be dark going into Jackson. I expect it will be discussed for the 2006 budget."

The street lights on the Cape Girardeau side of the interstate were turned on Jan. 21, and a lighting ceremony was held Jan. 24.

Many would argue that the lighting project has made the area safer. The once-dark entrance to the county park is now clearly visible at night.

"When you're just talking about it, you don't think it's going to make a big difference, but once they're up and you see it, it's like 'Wow,'" Cape Girardeau public works director Tim Gramling said. "It's amazing, the difference."

bmiller@semissourian.com

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