Old Orchard Road extension less dusty after paving work

It's ironic that a company called "Clean" was on one of the few dusty roads within the city limits of Jackson.

But workers at the uniform cleaning warehouse are glad that the dust has settled on the Old Orchard Road extension. The concrete has been poured and the street striped all the way to Clean's parking lot, near the water tower that can be seen from Interstate 55.

"It's 99.9 percent complete," said Jackson city engineer Dan Triller.

Triller said some fire hydrant and valve adjustments need to be made, but other than that the $269,000 project is finished.

Clean The Uniform Company is one of several businesses along the new stretch of concrete.

"We love it," said Tracy Mayfield, a secretary and three-year employee at Clean. "It has cut down on the dust in the warehouse, especially in the summertime, when we keep the doors open."

The uniform company distributes cleaned uniforms from Park Hills, Mo., to Caruthersville, Mo.

The extension is about 1,400 feet and varies from 62 feet to 48 feet wide. The project is a tax-billed project, meaning landowners were billed for the improvement. Per city ordinance, the property owners were only responsible for paying for a 38-foot-wide street. The city opted to make it wider and thicker and contributed about $83,000.

Eventually, the city plans to make Old Orchard Road connect East Jackson Boulevard and the new East Main Street extension. The current road, some of it still gravel, ties into Bainbridge Road.

The new Old Orchard Road, Triller said, will curve to the west so the land close to the interstate can be developed.

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635