More transportation projects likely will be done next month

This year may be winding down, but transportation projects in Cape Girardeau are pushing on.

Some of the activity is visible, with orange cones marking construction sites. Other work happens behind the scenes as city staff continue with planning.

All this work is related to Transportation Trust Fund 4 projects. The voter-approved list was pitched in 2010, and since that time, four projects have been completed.

The Broadway streetscape, the Lexington Avenue and Route W roundabout, the Henderson Street and Broadway traffic signal and corridor designs for the William and Aquamsi streets intersection are among those finished projects. Soon, the South West End Boulevard and Walnut Street projects will be included in that list as well.

On West End Boulevard from Linden Street to Jefferson Avenue, crews have been working on street-widening, improvements and construction of storm sewers, gutters and sidewalks. Street lighting will be added. The Walnut Street project adds a new section of the street, closing the gap from Beaudean Lane to West End Boulevard.

Benefits expected from the projects are additional access points for surrounding neighborhoods, establishing a connection to Shawnee Park and creating more pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, staff members have said. City engineer Casey Brunke said if weather cooperates, the work should be mostly finished by mid-December.

Other projects in the works include improvements to the section of Sprigg Street between William and Olive streets, where city engineers are working on sidewalk designs for part of the area; the Independence Street and Gordonville Road roundabout going out to bid in the spring; and downtown sidewalk replacement. For the downtown project, the city plans to replace some of the lights and has consultants working on sidewalk designs. A public meeting on the issue was held in September and a follow-up meeting is scheduled for Nov. 19.

One project, which features improvements to Bloomfield Road from Benton Hill Road to White Oaks Lane, remains in the planning stages. Brunke said plans for the cost-share project with Cape Special Road District are 95 percent finalized. The city needs to proceed with condemnation on a few more properties before it can begin.

Work on the extension of Veterans Memorial Drive from Scenic Drive to Hopper Road also may begin after the city finishes condemnations with property owners in the area.

Remaining TTF 4 projects will take some time. Another West End Boulevard project, this one from Rose Street to New Madrid Street, will be combined with a TTF 5 project, so construction will not begin until 2018. The final project on the TTF 4 list, Mustang Drive, faces a more uncertain start.

This project featured a second entrance to the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, Brunke said. It was planned as a cost-share arrangement, with the state providing 90 percent of the funds.

A second entrance "has pretty significant value," she said. "If a fire or accident happens out there and an entrance is blocked, we would want another one available so people can get in and out."

Because the city sold the land where it intended to build the road, she said, the city will keep the funds for the project "in the bank" to be used when a similar project presents itself.

Overall, Brunke said TTF 4 has been a success. The city will continue to work next year on the remaining projects and will be gearing up for neighborhood street repairs promised in TTF 5.

"I expect we'll see a flurry of construction activity next spring," she said.

srinehart@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

West End Boulevard and Linden Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Sprigg Street and William Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Independence Street and Gordonville Road, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Bloomfield Road and Benton Hill Road, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Veterans Memorial Drive and Scenic Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

860 Limbaugh Drive, Scott City, Mo.