Next phase of road project moves into chute

If all goes according to plan, the contract to begin constructing the next installment of Veterans Memorial Drive could be up for bids by the end of the year.

Although the next stage of the project is phase five, the last leg of the road, it actually will be the third phase to be built. Phase four was completed in 2011, connecting Kingshighway to Scenic Drive. Phase one -- which improved connection to U.S. 61 by joining county roads 618 and 620 to LaSalle Avenue -- opened in 2012.

Phase five will pick up where phase four ends at Scenic Drive and will end at Hopper Road. This connection, which spans roughly 4,100 feet, is especially beneficial because it opens up new connections for people living in the western part of town, said Cape Girardeau city engineer Casey Brunke.

By connecting phase five to phase four, motorists have a more direct path to U.S. 61 and locations along the highway, such as the Missouri Veterans Home.

"VMD is meant to be an outer road system along the interstate, and hopefully it will make access easier and quicker," she said. "With phase five, you can go from 61 to Hopper without going into town or on the interstate, and that's going to be fantastic."

Ideally, the project would ease congestion along Interstate 55 and U.S. 61, Brunke said, which also would help improve safety. The completed project would bring a few economic benefits, too.

Phase one cuts through the southern part of the Greater Cape Girardeau Business Park and connects with LaSalle Avenue, which bisects the property. Veterans Memorial Drive ties the park to the surrounding highway system and serves as a central road along which connections to future businesses can be built.

Of course, the city won't receive the full effect of these benefits until the road is complete. It's impossible to determine a final timeline for the project's completion because funding isn't guaranteed.

Phase one was paid for primarily with federal and state grants, leaving the city to pay $276,130 of the $2.3 million project with money from the motor fuel tax fund. The $1.3 million phase four was part of the Transportation Trust Fund 3 "pay as you go" package approved by voters in 2005. Similarly, the $3 million for phase five was approved as part of TTF 4.

Phases two and three are unfunded, Brunke said, but could be considered for future TTF funding.

A subcommittee of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission has been formed to review transportation needs and make recommendations to the city council for TTF projects. TTF 4 expires next year and the city plans to keep the tradition of offering a project list for voters to consider before casting their ballots.

Because Veterans Memorial Drive and the business park have been touted as projects that possess great economic potential for Cape Girardeau and the surrounding community, that could weigh on the minds of committee members as they form the TTF project list. But Brunke said with so many other needs to consider, it's hard to tell.

"Potentially, it could [be seen as a higher priority]," she said of the project's unfunded phases. "To increase connectivity would be beneficial, but you do have interstate access right by the park."

Discussions also have taken place about adding a sixth phase to Veterans Memorial Drive. It would continue south from Hopper Road toward William Street, but Brunke said it has not yet been determined to what road or intersection the new stretch would connect. TTF funds could also be considered for that phase.

The committee still is considering projects and the Cape Girardeau City Council has recently discussed focusing future TTF requests on maintaining existing streets.

To get phase five up and running, Brunke said the city is working with nearby property owners on right-of-way acquisition. At its last meeting, the council gave initial approval to an ordinance accepting a quit-claim deed for property along I-55 from the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, a group Brunke said has worked well with the city throughout the project's history. Once the measure receives final approval, the city will receive the approximately 0.60 acres for additional right of way to continue the project.

After working through the acquisition process, the city will open the project for bids, hopefully by the end of the year, Brunke said. At that point, a project deadline could be established, but she said the hilly, difficult terrain has made it difficult to determine timelines for each phase.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Veterans Memorial Drive and LaSalle Avenue, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

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