Plan proposes trails, bike-lane projects to connect Cape, Jackson

A recently unveiled regional plan envisions a biking/pedestrian trail that would connect Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

The Southeast Metropolitan Planning Organization (SEMPO) is seeking public input on the 161-page document.

The North Jackson-Cape Trail would extend 6.25 miles and cost an estimated $5 million to $8.75 million, the plan states.

It would create an extension of Cape LaCroix Trail and require reconstruction of the County Road 306 overpass that spans Interstate 55, according to the plan.

As envisioned, the trail would provide access through an area that is expected to see “high growth” in the future.

It is just one of 26 trail and bicycle-lane projects the regional planning organization has proposed.

Combined, the projects could cost nearly $80 million, the document states.

Longtime bicyclist Don Hinkebein welcomed the planning document, but added there is no certainty about construction.

“Who knows how much can be implemented?” he asked.

But Hinkebein, who rides 10 to 13 hours a week, said trails and bike lanes make it safer for bicyclists.

Hinkebein, shop manager for Cape Bicycle & Fitness, said he would welcome a trail connecting Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

“In our area, just the topography makes things difficult,” he said, adding, “There are some pretty big hills.”

Cape Girardeau city planner Ryan Shrimplin, who serves as executive director of SEMPO, said the plan is an important tool to meet transportation needs.

“It is critical because it shows the elected officials what the public wants,” he said, adding the plan was developed with input from bicyclists and others.

Nine projects are listed as “high-priority routes” including the North Jackson-Cape Trail.

Leading the list is the 2.8-mile Drainage Channel Trail, which would connect to the existing Cape

LaCroix Trail and the proposed Lexington Trail. It would add a trail along Kingshighway, which has “poor pedestrian access,” according to the plan.

Bicyclists and pedestrians voiced a need for such a trail at a public meeting in June.

The trail, estimated to cost from $2.25 million to $3.95 million, would tie into Kiwanis Park and provide access through the heavily populated northern part of Cape Girardeau, according to the plan.

Shrimplin said Cape Girardeau and Jackson would have to secure grants or other funding to construct any of the trails.

Rodney Bollinger, Jackson public works director and a member of the SEMPO board, said the plan will be used as a resource to help the city apply for grants for recreation trails, bike lanes, sidewalks and other improvements.

SEMPO is a federally funded organization that oversees transportation planning for the region. The organization does not receive funding to construct any of the projects it proposes, Shrimplin said.

The plan can be viewed online at southeastmpo.org, Shrimplin said.

Anyone without internet access may contact Cape Girardeau City Hall, he said.

The public can submit comments or questions using the link to the plan on the website or by contacting SEMPO staff. The public-comment period closes Dec. 17.

Two public meetings will be held, one in Cape Girardeau and the other in Jackson, early next year, Shrimplin said.

Some changes still could be made in the plan before the SEMPO board, comprising area officials and community leaders, approves the document, he said.

In addition to the North Jackson-Cape Trail and the Drainage Channel Trail, other top projects include Silver Springs, “SEMO,” Goose Creek and Shawnee Parkway trails.

The Silver Springs Trail would provide a western loop that would parallel Cape LaCroix Trail. It would connect Cape Girardeau Central High School and the Career and Technology Center to the trail, according to the planning document.

The “SEMO” Trail would connect Southeast Missouri State University to the Riverfront Trail. It would connect through “heavily student-oriented” neighborhoods, the plan stated.

One drawback is the westernmost section of the trail would be “fairly steep,” according to the document.

Goose Creek Trail would extend along the creek, connecting residential neighborhoods to parks and uptown Jackson. It could require construction of several bridges over Goose Creek, the plan stated.

Shawnee Parkway Trail would connect the south end of the Riverfront Trail to Cape LaCroix Trail, completing the southern end of the loop around Cape Girardeau. It would provide a trail along busy Shawnee Parkway.

Other top projects include construction of bike lanes on William Street and West End Boulevard and a Themis Street Bike Boulevard, which, the plan states, would provide an east-west route through the central part of Cape Girardeau.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641