PUBLIC GETS TO EXAMINE PROPOSED ROAD PLANS

Approximately 175 people turned out Tuesday night to look over alternatives for planned upgrades to Highways 34-72 and 25-74.

State highway planners answered questions, pointed out routes and gathered input on the proposed corridors for the two highway projects.

Five corridors are under study for the Highways 34-72 project, which is aimed at easing traffic congestion between Jackson and the new Highway 74-Interstate-55 interchange in Cape Girardeau.

Three corridors are under study for the Highways 25-74 upgrade, which calls for improving the Dutchtown interchange and Highway 74 from Dutchtown to Cape Girardeau.

The project is still undergoing conceptual changes. It would run from the Highways 25-74 interchange at Chaffee to the new Highway 74 interchange.

The input will help determine which of the routes will be chosen for the two projects, said Ray Steege, project manager for QST Infrastructure Inc., the firm overseeing the project study for the state.

Most of the visitors at the meeting were there to look over and question the Highways 34-72 project.

"There was a lot of discussion tonight about the intersection at Route K," Steege said. "It's obvious we need to take a look at that interchange in a lot more depth."

If the concerns about Route K are pressing enough, an alternate route may have to be designed, he said.

In six to eight months, the Missouri Department of Transportation hopes to hold a public hearing to announce the preferred routes for both projects, said DawnRae Clark Fuller, project manager for the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Construction won't start until 2002 at the earliest, she said.

"That allows us time for design, but that is, of course, pending funding," she said.

Preliminary cost estimates for the Highways 34-72 project range from $20 million for upgrading the existing route through Jackson to $61.6 million for upgrading the existing roadway and building a four-lane divided highway.

No cost estimates have been released yet for the Highways 25-74 project.

Since design plans are so preliminary, it is too early to try to project costs, Fuller said.

"Each meeting we have, the costs are more refined," she said.

Projected costs cover such a wide range because of the wide range of improvements required under each alternative, she said.

Contractors, municipal and county officials, elected officials and business leaders were among people who turned out to study the proposals and voice opinions.

Several members of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's Transportation Committee attended to review the corridors. The committee will meet next month to review the proposals and will make its recommendation for the projects, said John Mehner, chamber president.

"This is a lot to take in," he said.

A second public meeting will be held in late winter or early spring to offer more details on the proposed corridors, Steege said.

Then a public hearing will be held to outline the state's recommendation for the projects and to gather additional public input.