ORANGE CONES HERE FOR DURATION

If people thought Cape Girardeau's streets were confusing during sewer separation work last year, they could be shocked when the city begins construction on several major street projects this summer.

"Now is a good time to have stock in the orange cones," joked City Engineer Mark Lester.

Since it is the last year of the city's Transportation Trust Fund tax, residents will see a lot of projects under development at the same time, said City Manager Michael Miller.

The scheduled road improvements are part of a five-year plan to improve city streets, and are paid for with a half-cent sales tax. The tax is set to expire this year. No definite plans have been announced, but city officials will likely ask voters to extend the tax so that more improvements can be completed in coming years.

When voters approved the tax in 1995, 20 projects were listed in order of priority and need for improvement. Four projects have been completed and another four should be under construction by the end of January or early February. Four more projects that primarily included street maintenance and repaving, have stopped for the winter months.

Because the city is nearing the end of its project list, much of the work will be "wrapped up by the end of the tax period." Now people don't have to wait years for a project just months, Miller said.

The remaining projects have been designed and are still awaiting bids. Winter months, with unpredictable weather, are difficult times to start such extensive projects, Lester said.

Originally, the city started the projects with the intent of completing one before starting another, but city staff quickly learned that just wasn't feasible.

"If we have to wait for each project to finish, it would really draw the work out," said Mayor Al Spradling III.

It takes at least five ordinances passed by the council to complete a single project. Each ordinance must be read three times, usually at two separate council meetings. It could take anywhere from one to three months to get a project moving. Much of the process is directed by state regulations, Lester said.

Once the council establishes the need for a project and re-affirms the necessity of the work, bids are advertised for at least two weeks before they can be accepted by the city and work can begin.

The process can be even longer, or stop completely, if property owners don't want to donate right-of-way access or if the council puts a project on hold, Lester said. If every property owner along a street donates the right-of-way needed for the project, the city does not assess any tax bills for the work.

A project to widen Kage Road from Hopper Road to Mount Auburn road was tabled at a city council meeting Monday at the urging of residents. The council opted to wait on the project until work on the Hopper Road extension is farther along. It takes a two-thirds vote of the council to bring the item back into consideration.

The project included widening Kage Road to 24 feet and adding curb and gutters. The work would have helped to reduce some traffic hazards by taking a minimum amount of right-of-way, said City Planner Kent Bratton.

The Kage Road project was No. 16 on the Transportation Trust Fund list.

When voters approved the plan originally, its appeal was that the tax would pay for specific projects outlined by the city. The money would be set aside in the trust fund solely for the 20 road improvement projects listed.

"We all like accountability, especially with our tax money," said Lester. Because the trust fund projects operate on a "pay-as-you-go" method, there will be more than enough money available to finish the work, he added.

"It's being used for what we said it was for," he said.

The city has even saved itself some money by buying a Global Positioning System (GPS) to help with surveying jobs.

The equipment, which cost $72,000 "paid for itself" on the Bloomfield Road project, Lester said.

Instead of sending an two-person crew to survey a road, the GPS allows each person to work on separate projects at the time. The system remembers the coordinates of a specified project and when information is downloaded onto a computer, it can even develop a contour map of the land.

Just that process alone has saved the engineering department time and money on several road projects, Lester said. The expense of the system also means that the city spends less money on outside contracting services.

The GPS system has already been used on Walnut Street, the Kent Street expansion project and New Madrid Street.

STATUS OF TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND PROJECTS

* Maintenance of existing streets, paving gravel streets.

STATUS: Work is finished for winter.

* Perryville Road. Widened the road from Meyer Drive to city limits.

STATUS: Work is complete.

* Hopper Road from Mount Auburn to Kage Road.

STATUS: Project redesigned after problems from

land acquisition. Acquiring right-of-way continues.

Project will be bid after all right of way acquired.

* Silver Springs Road from William to Independence.

STATUS: Right-of-way acquired, project under design.

Design contract awarded in August to Koehler Engi-

neering. Construction could begin early spring.

* Bloomfield Road from Christine St. east to Spring St.

STATUS: Construction contract awarded to Nip Kel-

ley Construction Co. Work should begin Tuesday.

* Broadway from Clark to Perry avenues.

STATUS: All original bids were rejected in Septem-

ber. Project should be rebid early part of this year.

Traffic light update included in this project.

* Mount Auburn widening.

STATUS: Design completed by Koehler Engineering.

Land acquisition continues for right-of-way. Project to

be bid.

* Connections to Route 74

--Lorimier Street.

STATUS: Still waiting for MoDOT completion of high

way. Construction tied to bridge work and River Cam

pus development.

--Mount Auburn road from Bloomfield south.

STATUS: Bids awarded Jan. 3 to Bowen Engineering.

Construction could begin in summer.

--Siemers Drive to Bloomfield south.

STATUS: Work completed.

--Silver Springs Road to Bloomfield south.

STATUS: Project is under construction. Design com-

pleted and right-of-way acquired. Road being built as

phase II of Bloomfield project.

* Bloomfield Road from Kingshighway west to I-55.

STATUS: Project under construction. Contract award

ed to Fronabarger/Lappe Joint Venture. Work is on

schedule; traffic can use road from Kingshighway to

Edgewood and from Siemers to Silver Springs Road.

* Hopper Road from Kage to I-55, phase II A.

STATUS: Project completed.

* Phase II B includes Hopper Road from Oak Ridge Court to I-55.

STATUS: Design is complete and right-of-way acquisi-

tion continues.

* William Street from Sprigg to Main streets. Work includes general improvement and possible widening.

STATUS: Project is under design by Koehler Engi-

neering and Surveying.

* Perryville Road from city limits to Cypress.

STATUS: Work is on hold.

* Kage Road from Mount Auburn to Hopper roads.

STATUS: Work is under design by Koehler Engineer-

ing. City Council members tabled this project Jan. 3

until Hopper Road extension is further along.

* Mount Auburn/Southern Expressway extensions.

--Mount Auburn Road from Highway 74 south to Southern Expressway (extended south to Silver Springs Road).

STATUS: Project is under design and construction

should begin this year.

--Southern Expressway extension west from Kingshighway to Silver Springs Road.

STATUS: Design work still to come.

* Independence Street from Pacific to Sprigg reconstruction.

STATUS: Project awaiting design and selection of

firm.

* New Madrid Street from Henderson Avenue west to Perry Avenue.

STATUS: Work is under design; reconstruction of

Henderson and New Madrid intersection is com-

plete. Koehler Engineering was awarded design con

tract.

* Rodney street bridge replacement and reconstruction from National Guard armory to Hawthorn.

STATUS: Project under design; Bowen Engineering

awarded contract. Bids expected by summer.