MODOT PROPOSES HIGHWAY 74 UPGRADE

Michael Kuehle already had figured out the best route for upgrading highways 25-74 between Blomeyer and Cape Girardeau before he saw the Missouri Department of Transportation's plans Thursday.

Moving the existing road a little to the south and making it four lanes instead of two eliminates much of the traffic problems along the stretch.

"He had it figured out perfectly," said his wife, Felicity.

"There are fewer pieces of property to buy, and it has less impact on them," Kuehle said.

He was one of more than 50 property owners who attended a 2 1/2-hour open-house meeting Thursday night at the Holiday Inn in Cape Girardeau. MoDOT representatives were on hand to explain the proposed changes to the landowners.

MoDOT has been studying traffic along highways 25-74 in hopes of alleviating congestion and improving safety. The road serves as a link to Cape Girardeau for residents in Chaffee, Advance, Delta, Dutchtown and beyond.

Most of the people who attended the meeting didn't complain. Instead, they asked questions. Some wanted to see where their property was in relation to the proposed changes while others just wanted to know how the road would be moved.

Usually a lot of curious people attend the public meetings, said Ray Steege of QST Infrastructure Inc., a consultant firm hired by MoDOT. It gives residents a chance to see what the plans are and to offer suggestions. But those suggestions don't always mean plans will change.

"We weigh what we get," Steege said. Minor changes are often made to the recommended plans, he explained.

Sue Gloth didn't think the plan was the best way of improving the traffic situation. The Blomeyer resident travels highways 25-74 twice daily and knows it is congested. She thinks the proposal is a waste of money.

"It's a contractor's dream," she said.

She said she had hoped MoDOT would have developed Nash Road from near Blomeyer to Interstate 55 instead.

The proposed plan is a much longer route -- eight miles compared to three or four along Nash Road, Gloth said.

The MoDOT recommendation calls for building a new, elevated highway above the 500-year flood level and upgrading it to four lanes of divided highway. It would run from the intersection of highways 25 and 77 at Blomeyer to the old Highways 74-U.S. 61 interchange at Interstate 55.

The existing highway would be used as a service road for area residents.

The plan has received positive reaction because it is financially and environmentally the most viable alternative, said DawnRae Clark, program manager for MoDOT. "It will improve safety and make it more efficient to travel from Delta, Advance and Chaffee to where the people are trying to go."

Some disadvantages to the plan are that it doesn't use the new Highway 74 interchange at Interstate 55 in Cape Girardeau and has a greater impact on the floodplain. But it maximizes the use of an existing road and would be most consistent with future projects and road use, she said.

The MoDOT study likely will be completed by winter. Construction wouldn't begin until 2005 at the earliest, Clark said.