New version of Cape's transportation fund focuses more on repairs

Although the Tuesday vote in Cape Girardeau asks voters for a fifth time to renew the Transportation Trust Fund, the latest TTF has represented many firsts for the city.

It's the first time the focus has been shifted to maintenance and repair rather than building new infrastructure. It also was the city's first test of a public meeting format that gave attendees "Cape Cash" to demonstrate the allocation of funds to various needs.

Dozens of people have played roles in shaping TTF 5 and the list of projects it will fund if voters approve the half-cent transportation sales tax Tuesday. TTF has been approved by voters every five years since 1995. The revenue generated by the tax goes to a fund dedicated solely to transportation improvement projects, on a "pay-as-you-go" basis.

The TTF 5 process started with a six-member subcommittee that consisted of four Planning and Zoning Commission members and two residents. The committee met regularly from June through November 2014 to review and prioritize a list of projects recommended by the public and city council members, or placed on an alternate list in previous TTFs. Projects were ranked using criteria such as the condition of the infrastructure, safety, congestion relief, economic development and connectivity to major transportation corridors and employment destinations.

Focusing on the repair and improvement of existing streets was a request of the council and influenced by public input. Councilman Wayne Bowen said the issue of street repairs has been brought to his attention repeatedly since he became a Ward 6 representative.

"When I first ran for office in 2013, in the special election, people said, 'Great. I'm excited about you running. Now when are you going to fix my road?'" he said.

Residents invited him to their neighborhoods to see the roads they drive, and Bowen said as he's made an effort to survey roads himself, it's easy to see they need attention. Figures from city staff show one quarter of the city's 233 miles of streets fall in the categories of poor, very poor, serious or failed.

That's why the councilman has been a vocal supporter of designating more funds to road repairs than projects. The final project list prepared by city staff in May shows of the $24 million it expects to generate over the next five years, 45.31 percent is set aside for general repairs, 45.59 percent is dedicated to projects and 9.10 percent for a contingency fund.

Of the eight projects initially proposed by the subcommittee, seven made it to the final list. At the city council's suggestion, a list of four alternate projects also was replaced with a project that would continue work on Veterans Memorial Drive. Various phases of the outer road that runs parallel to Interstate 55 have been funded through past TTFs.

City staff did a bit of tweaking to the list before finalizing it in an effort to fund as many projects as possible with the revenue the city expects to collect.

The Lexington Avenue project, for example, shifted from one of the most expensive projects on the list to one of the least expensive. Rather than an overhaul of the section between Sherwood Drive and West Cape Rock Drive, the project calls for an asphalt overlay on the concrete. City staff say the move, at a cost of $900,000, would extend the life of the street by 10 years.

One project that has remained a big-ticket item focuses on Independence Street between Gordonville Road/East Rodney Drive and Caruthers Avenue. At a cost of $3.5 million, it's the most expensive of the specified projects.

"I think almost anybody who lives, works or plays in Cape Girardeau has experienced the congestion on Independence," said deputy city manager Molly Hood. "One of the reasons it has a big price tag is because we're not quite sure what we will need to implement to alleviate the congestion."

The city knows of a few "pinch points" in the area, she said, but likely will hire a traffic engineering firm to study from where the traffic is coming and where the major destinations and turning points are, then offer recommendations. The city also plans to work with area businesses as it looks for a solution.

The only project on the list calling for the construction of a "new" road is on Fountain Street, but Hood said even that project was recommended with preserving existing roads in mind. By building a new leg of Fountain Street in the area around Indian Park and city hall, she said connection to Broadway and the downtown area would be improved, and some pressure placed on Sprigg Street could be relieved.

"When you come off the bridge from Illinois, that's the first intersection you hit, is Fountain Street," Hood said. "So, especially with the River Campus there, it makes a really nice entrance to downtown. ... It also opens up the land back here behind city hall a little bit, makes that more accessible and might lead to future development opportunities there."

Other streets slated for repairs include West End Boulevard, Main Street and Sprigg Street. The Sloan Creek Bridge on Big Bend Road also will be replaced.

Mayor Harry Rediger said much of the enthusiasm he's heard from the public about TTF centers around the planned street repairs. If TTF 5 is approved, the $3.2 million initially set aside for the Armstrong Drive project -- a TTF 3 endeavor the city chose not to pursue because of steep right-of-way costs -- would go toward replacing patches on roads and making lasting repairs.

If voters choose not to renew TTF, that money will be diverted to fund the most critical needs, Hood said. The city relies on TTF funds for all of its transportation projects and repairs, she said, and would be in "dire straits" without it.

Rediger said the dozens of past transportation projects, such as the widening of Mount Auburn, construction of Veterans Memorial Drive and the Broadway streetscape improvements, could not have been completed without TTF.

"We've been able to do $80 million in improvements, and we obviously didn't have $80 million in our budget over the last 20 years," he said.

Rediger said he's heard "little to no opposition" to the measure. Bowen said he hasn't heard "a single negative comment about it." The question the councilman said he most often hears is along the lines of, "Is my street on the list?"

The combination of the neighborhood street repairs funded by the repurposed Armstrong Drive money and the dedication of nearly half the transportation tax's funds to repairs means plenty of neighborhoods are going to see action if TTF is renewed -- a fact Bowen tries to point out to residents who approach him with questions. Hood said once it's approved, staff will begin prioritizing roads for repair.

"I would expect next year's asphalt overlay and concrete repair would be very robust," she said.

Funds from TTF 5 also would pay for new streetlights and sidewalks and sidewalk repairs.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau, Mo.

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TTF 5 Project List

• Fountain Street to William to Independence connectivity: new concrete street, curb and gutter, sidewalk and streetlights. Cost: $1 million.
• Independence Street to Gordonville/East Rodney to Caruthers: traffic study to address congestion, plus implement recommendations from study. Cost: $3.5 million.
• Lexington Avenue *-- Sherwood to West Cape Rock: patch, street overlay and sidewalks. Cost: $900,000.
• Main Street *-- Roberts to East Cape Rock: reconstruction, curb and gutter repair, sidewalks and streetlights. Cost: $1.1 million.
• Sloan Creek Bridge on Big Bend Road: replace superstructure and address slope issues. Cost: $1.7 million.
• Sprigg Street *-- William to Broadway: mill and overlay, sidewalks, streetscape and right-turn lane at William/Sprigg. Cost: $1.7 million.
• West End Boulevard *-- New Madrid to Bertling: reconstruction, curb and gutter repair, sidewalks and streetlights. Cost: $2.5 million.