PROS, CONS OF OAK RIDGE EXIT DISCUSSED

OAK RIDGE -- A public hearing Tuesday on the proposed construction of an interchange on Interstate 55 at Oak Ridge drew a "mixed" reaction, the project manager said.

"Some are very much in favor," said the manager, Lynelle Skouby, citing improved safety for school buses, convenience and better access for ambulances and fire equipment as major positive factors.

On the other hand, "Some people are afraid the whole area will change," she said. "And they're concerned about more traffic on Route E."

Luther and other representatives of the Missouri Department of Transportation were at the Oak Ridge School to answer questions about the project. Based on findings at the hearing, MoDOT will make a recommendation to the Missouri Highways Commission on whether to go ahead and build the $2 million project.

First proposed in 1975, the plan would construct access ramps at the Route E-I-55 overpass, widen and resurface a small stretch of Route E near the interchange, and reconstruct outer roads.

More than 70 people had come through the doors an hour into the three-hour hearing. The turnout was larger than MoDOT sees for many larger projects in metropolitan areas, Luther said.

Norman and Ruby Preusser favor the interchange. They cite the shortened driving time to Cape Girardeau as a major reason and also expect the value of their farmland to increase.

It's time Oak Ridge got some help from the government, they said. "The north end of Cape County has been forgotten," Ruby Preusser said.

Air Force Lt. Col. Matthew Berry was at the hearing talking to people about cons of the interchange. Berry owns acreage that would be taken by the state on the southeast corner of the interchange. He would be compensated for the 10 acres at market value. But he said, "I didn't buy it to sell it."

Berry is stationed at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., but he and his wife intend to live on the Oak Ridge farm they own when he retires from the military. Both have family in the area.

He contended the interchange would rob Oak Ridge of its rural atmosphere and bring in more crime.

"A convenience for some people is inconvenient for other people," said Berry. He claimed that only three to five minutes in travel time to Cape Girardeau or Jackson would be saved anyway.

He also said the process of devising the plan has been flawed and taxpayer money would be spent unwisely. He prefers improving Routes C and D.

Berry contended that the interchange would be bigger than it need be. The state would take about 40 acres for the project, and 10 of the acres would be returned as borrowed easement.

Cherie Fuemmeler, superintendent of the Oak Ridge R-6 School District, favors the project. So do the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission and the Cape Girardeau County Commission.

Fuemmeler said safety is a key issue because buses now often must travel on curvy Routes B and D to take students to extracurricular activities.

The interchange also would make it easier for the school district to get bids from vendors who normally pass it by because of the lack of interstate access, the superintendent said.

If the project proceeds, right-of-way acquisition and finalization of design plans would be completed next year with construction to begin in 2000. The project would be completed in 2001.