MOUNT AUBURN EXTENSION TO OPEN

Traveling north and south through Cape Girardeau gets a little easier Friday.

City officials will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. to open the extension of Mount Auburn Road from Bloomfield Road to Shawnee Parkway, the new highway 74.

The event will be held at the south end of the extension where the road connects to Shawnee Parkway.

The project was part of the city's Transportation Trust Fund work. Concrete pavement, curbs and gutters and traffic signs were part of the construction project.

Good weather has helped the project along. It was not due for completion until August, said City Engineer Mark Lester.

The Transportation Trust Fund has provided money for nearly 20 road improvement projects in the city since it was established in 1995. Voters approved a half-cent sales tax for five years to fund the road work. The tax expires Dec. 31.

Voters will be asked to extend the tax for another five years at the Aug. 8 election so that more projects can be completed.