Revamped Cape intersection opens, but more improvements needed

As Cape Girardeau's mayor stood ready to activate new stoplights, delivering a speech that ended with how great the change would be at Mount Auburn Road and Independence Street, a couple of lesser-known people watched from afar with opinions of their own.

The two maintenance workers on break Friday at Chateau Girardeau nursing home leaned back in their golf cart, surveying the scene from beneath a shade tree.

"They need to put some signs up," Chuck Prost said. He both lives and works in the neighborhood and goes through the intersection regularly. "I've seen a lot of confusion."

Raymond Johnson of Jackson weighed in. "I went through there the other day. There was a guy who liked to have hit me."

Even as they spoke, drivers southbound on Mount Auburn seemed flummoxed by the new markings on the pavement, half-removed old markings and new stoplights. The biggest problem: a sudden jog right, indicated by a yellow-striped median, followed by a choice of two lanes going straight and one going left. Because the median isn't actually raised, most drivers just rolled right over the yellow markings.

Permanent signs

City engineer Mark Lester shook his head and joked about a reward system for drivers who got it right. As a more practical measure, public works employees started digging post holes for three permanent signs with markings that point the way.

By Friday afternoon, those were installed, along with three smaller, temporary "keep right" signs and a larger, electronic sign borrowed from the Missouri Department of Transportation. "Caution ahead," it warned. "Lane shifts to right."

Lester said workers will make the southbound shift to the left-turn lane a more gradual one that begins farther away from the intersection. There's no time frame set for that work.

Despite the kinks, Mayor Jay Knudtson said the project was the result of lots of hard work. He walked to the ceremony from First Missouri State Bank -- he's the executive vice president -- which sits on the intersection's southeast corner.

"A lot of people had a vision of this a long time ago, and we've finally been able to do it," he said.

$377,579 project

The intersection improvements, part of a $377,579 widening project on Mount Auburn Road, were on a list of work to be funded by a half-cent transportation sales tax passed in August 1995. Voters renewed the tax in August 2000.

The stoplights are set to stay green for traffic going north and south on Mount Auburn. Ron Cotner, a contractor on the project, said mounted cameras will trip lights for approaching cars on Independence or those in left-turn lanes. He said there could be adjustments to the timing depending on how well current settings work.

The project to widen Mount Auburn from William Street to Independence began in March, and the contract called for work to be completed in October. Contractor Lappe Cement Finishing of Perryville, Mo., finished early and without ever completely closing Mount Auburn Road.

On Friday, a Cape Girardeau police officer stood in the middle of the redesigned intersection and stopped traffic as Knudtson put his hand on the switch. Moments later, the officer moved to the side as the signals directed drivers.

The assembled group of city employees and the curious applauded.

"I've never been so happy to see a green light and a red light in my life," Knudtson said.

hhall@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 121