SIGNALS RETUN TO OPERATION

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Traffic signals at the busy intersection of South Sprigg and Morgan Oak are back in operation again.

Flashing signals had been put in operation at the four-way intersection after one of the signal poles was knocked down earlier this month by a semi-trailer truck attempting to make a left turn off Morgan Oak onto South Sprigg Street.

Cape Girardeau Police said the driver of the truck, owned by Jerry Lipps Inc., struck the pole on the southwest corner of the intersection with the front of his truck, knocking down the pole and mast on which the signal heads are mounted. The accident occurred shortly after 5 p.m. March 1.

The damaged pole and signal heads were replaced Wednesday morning by a maintenance crew from the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department.

Mike Perry, maintenance traffic engineer with the department's Sikeston office, said the department was fortunate that the city of Cape Girardeau had a couple of spare traffic signal poles available. He said the poles had been used for the red signal lights in the 1600 block of Independence in front of the former fire station. The city has replaced that fire station with a new facility on the city's west side.

Perry said the aluminum and steel poles are specially designed for strength. He said it usually takes about two to three months to get delivery on this particular type of signal pole.

"We stock a lot of signal poles that are mounted on concrete bases, but this pole was bolted directly into the sidewalk. There are very few locations in the district where we have this type of signal pole installed, so we do not stock many of them," he explained.

The poles are not cheap, either. Perry estimated the cost of replacing the damaged traffic signal at $1,200. He said the total cost of replacing the damaged pole and signal heads amounted to nearly $4,000.

Perry said there are no plans to install a barricade in front of the signal pole, as was done on the southeast and northeast corners of the intersection to protect them from turning trucks.

The intersection is located three blocks west of the Mississippi River Bridge. It handles a large amount of truck traffic.