Road panel proposes test of paving method

Members of the Cape Girardeau County Road and Bridge Advisory Board finished a series of four public meetings Thursday in Burfordville, where they heard concerns about particular roads and unveiled their proposal to try a new paving method on 13 miles of roads this year.

While chip-and-seal paving isn't a new concept, it hasn't been used in Cape Girardeau County for long stretches of road in many years. But to make this year's limited funding from a new county sales tax stretch, the advisory board wants to use it as a test of whether it is more cost-effective than traditional asphalt.

"As we listened to people, we heard that dust control is a very important issue in the county," board vice chairman Ken Evans said to the audience of about 45 people at the Burfordville Baptist Church. "Chip and seal is a viable option."

During the public comment period, audience members expressed concerns about landowners unwilling to provide the easements needed for their road to make the paving list. Others questioned whether the requirement that landowners grant a 30-foot corridor from the center of the road is excessive.

"What is going to happen when people refuse to sign?" asked Janice White, a resident on County Road 370.

It wasn't a new question, Evans said. "We have run into several issues where one or two people refuse to sign. And we are going to use a really creative way to deal with those issues -- we are going to talk to them."

Most of the 11 members of the board attended the meeting. They will meet again Monday evening at the County Administration Building in Jackson to discuss the issues heard Thursday evening and at other hearings in Delta, Daisy and Fruitland.

In the near future, the board will send a proposal for paving priorities to the county commission for consideration. The proposal was crafted after months of work that included a review of every paving application.

The new tax, which will provide about $800,000 for paving this year and $1.5 million or more annually in the future, should speed the process and show residents progress. "We are trying to modernize the county," board member George Miller said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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