SEALING OF LEXINGTON PIQUES PUBLIC CURIOSITY

Cape Girardeau city councilmen said Monday they have fielded a flurry of questions about work on Lexington Avenue. People want to know why a relatively new street is being "repaved."

The answer is that the work isn't repaving, it is sealing, Public Works Director Doug Leslie said. Parts of Lexington have been open to traffic for five years, and the wear and tear is showing.

A contractor was hired to seal out moisture between Carolina Lane and Kingsway Drive. If moisture gets into the road and freezes, it causes cracks and eventually potholes.

Leslie said he has fielded some complaints about the road's new texture. He assured the council it will be smoother as more traffic passes over it. The sealing material is less than a half-inch thick.

The seal must cure for two weeks or more before striping work can begin.

Another transportation-related event explained at a council meeting Monday was the hiring of Timothy Gramling as transportation services coordinator and assistant public works director.

For the past 10 years, Gramling has worked for the Illinois Department of Transportation in Carbondale. He attended Southeast Missouri State University for pre-engineering studies and received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla in 1985.

Leslie said he supported Gramling's hiring because of his extensive design and administrative experience.

Gramling and his wife, LaDon, have three sons and recently relocated to Cape Girardeau.