Meeting shows public not sold on Veterans Memorial Drive project

Plans to extend Veterans Memorial Drive should be put on hold for now.

That was the message from some of the people who attended a public meeting Wednesday to provide input on more than a dozen proposed Cape Girardeau street projects.

City staff and a city advisory committee are seeking public input as part of their efforts to recommend to the City Council a list of projects to be funded if voters approve a half-cent transportation sales tax next year.

Voters will be asked in April to extend the tax for another five years.

About 30 people over a period of an hour and a half turned out for the meeting to view maps of the proposed projects being considered under the Transportation Trust Fund 6 program.

The open-house-style meeting was held from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Projects on the drawing board would cost more than the $10 million that would be allocated for major transportation projects.

The tax is expected to generate about $25 million over a five-year period, but the advisory committee has proposed spending $13 million of that funding on general maintenance and repairs. Another $2 million would be budgeted for contingencies.

That leaves $10 million to fund major street projects.

The committee and city staff are working to pare down the list of projects to fit within the budget.

The proposed extension of Veterans Memorial Drive has been a major focus.

Committee members have debated whether to earmark $6 million for the entire project or spend $2.3 million on design, property acquisition and grading work.

Under the latter proposal, the dirt work would not be done unless voters extend the transportation tax again in 2025 and include funding to construct the road.

But some residents said Wednesday they don't believe the street should be extended south from Hopper Road to the Route K area at this time.

Barry Thornton said "there is not enough traffic" to warrant it. Thornton said he wants to see the 400 and 500 blocks of North Sprigg Street reconstructed. The project is not the list. It's been patched, but the pavement remains in poor shape, he said.

South Sprigg Street from Southern Expressway to William Street is on the list.

Resident Marvin McBride said reconstructing South Sprigg Street is a top priority for him.

Street improvements have not occurred on the city's south side in contrast to other areas of the city, he said. "It's been put off for so long," McBride said.

Veterans Memorial Drive on the city's west side does not need to be extended now, he said.

Harold Tilley regularly runs along Hopper Road near where plans call for extending Veterans Memorial Drive. He is not sold on extending the street.

"There are more pressing issues the city has," he said.

Tilley said the city should focus on maintaining the streets it has, not building new ones.

But former Mayor Harry Rediger, who chairs the advisory board and attended the meeting, told Tilley extending the street would lead to more commercial and residential development and alleviate traffic congestion on Mount Auburn Road.

"We've got to get Veterans Memorial Drive done," Rediger said.

John Mayfield, who lives near Lexington Avenue on the city's north side, doesn't agree.

"I call that the road to nowhere," he said of Veterans Memorial Drive.

The city should focus on improving existing streets first, he said.

At the top of his list is reconstruction of two sections of Lexington Avenue.

He said Lexington Avenue is pitted with potholes which makes for a bumpy ride.

The advisory board is looking at reconstructing Lexington Avenue, from Carolina Lane to Sherwood Drive, and from West Cape Rock Drive to Sprigg Street.

Mayfield, however, said the street needs to be reconstructed all the way to Big Bend Road.

The public will have another chance to comment on projects at a meeting Sept. 25 at Shawnee Park Center, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The public also can participate in an online survey at www.cityofcape.org/ttf6.

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