Jackson's S. Old Orchard Road reopens to traffic

South Old Orchard Road in Jackson is now open to traffic, more than a week earlier than expected, an official said.

The road realignment project, completed Monday, shifted the pavement west and straightened the curves in the 2300 block, a city news release stated.

Bids were opened in February and the project was awarded to Vern Bauman Contracting of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, for about $105,000, according to the release.

City administrator Jim Roach said previously 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 for this project allowed the city to stretch its budget to cover other projects that were not eligible, Roach added.

The road closed May 2, and was expected to be complete June 4.

"Vern Bauman Contracting worked very well, very efficiently to get the job done," Clint Brown, the city's engineer, said. The contractor didn't run into any major problems, Brown added, and that contributed to the project coming in ahead of schedule.

"It's always good when we get projects done in time and on schedule," Brown added. "We're very pleased with the work they did."

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630