PAVING CONTRACT ON BRIDGE AWARDED

SIKESTON - The Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission has awarded several contracts for highway construction and resurfacing projects in the Cape Girardeau area.

The largest is a $2,012,785 contract for grading and paving a portion of relocated Highway 25, between Dutchtown and Blomeyer, in southwest Cape Girardeau County.

The relocated highway will extend from Highway 74 at Dutchtown, southward across the new Diversion Channel bridge now under construction, to the Highway 77 junction at Blomeyer. Work is expected to begin within the next few weeks.

Construction of the bridge began last fall. The highway and bridge should be completed by this fall. The general contractor is Robertson Contractors, Inc. of Poplar Bluff.

The resurfacing work includes 10.2 miles of one-inch asphalt overlay on Route D from Highway 61 in Jackson northward to Route E in Oak Ridge, at a cost of $149,397. The work will be done by Girardeau Contractors, Inc. of Cape Girardeau. Work could begin in May, and should be completed by the first week of October.

The company was also awarded a $319,664 contract for asphalt overlay work in Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Scott and Stoddard counties. The work includes: resurfacing of 3.5 miles of Route N from Highway 51 to the Route N spur, and one half mile of the Route N spur to Leopold, in Bollinger County; 12.3 miles of Route P from Highway 25 south of Delta to Route 91 north of Bell City, in Cape Girardeau, Scott and Stoddard counties; and 5.5 miles of Route N from Main Street in Scott City south to the Route E intersection west of Commerce, in Scott County.

Work is scheduled to start on these projects later this month and be completed by the first week of October.