Jackson's Old Orchard to see construction soon

Driving on Old Orchard Road in Jackson is about to get safer.

Construction is set to begin this spring on a section of Old Orchard Road near Slate Lane where the roadway has a sharp curve.

The road was built around an existing private home, which was demolished last year in advance of the project, said city engineer Clint Brown.

Brown said there isn't a good detour around the construction area, so most of Old Orchard Road will be closed for the duration of the work.

Construction should be complete by June, Brown added.

"The city has already done some grading work and demolition of the house that was on the site," Brown said, leaving only road demolition, final grading work and rebuilding of the new road.

The new road will be the same width as the existing road, Brown said. The only change is, the curve won't be as sharp, he said.

In an October interview with the Southeast Missourian, city administrator Jim Roach said the project was eligible for funding through the existing Old Orchard Road tax-increment finance district, or TIF district.

The TIF district, established in 1998, allowed money otherwise slated for property taxes to be deferred into a fund to pay for public improvement projects, including installing utilities and paving the road itself.

Work must be completed by 2021, when the TIF district sunsets, Roach said in October.

Using TIF dollars allowed the city to stretch its budget to cover other projects not in the TIF district, Roach added.

City engineer Brown confirmed this is still the case.

Vern Bauman Contracting Co. of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, will do the work at a cost of about $105,000, according to city documents.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

Old Orchard Road, Jackson, Mo.