Street projects set to begin in earnest

The mild summer has offered many opportunities for people to enjoy the outdoors. It also has proved convenient for the city to begin needed repair projects.

The first of many concrete street repairs in Cape Girardeau will begin Monday on Hopper Road near Clippard Elementary School. If the weather continues to be good, the city estimates work will be finished within two weeks.

More than a dozen other concrete streets also will be repaired, with the final projects expected to wrap up in December. City traffic operations engineer Stan Polivick said as contractors begin work on each project, they will remove individual street panels. The 10-by-20-foot concrete panels that are cracked and damaged will be replaced with new concrete. Only those that need to be replaced will be removed.

"We're not going to rip out the whole street, corner to corner," he said.

Streets will not be closed as crews begin repairs, but traffic may be reduced to one lane in some areas. Motorists are urged to use caution as they drive through the work zones.

The $450,000 contract with Nip Kelly to finish the projects is funded by the Transportation Trust Fund sales tax.

While some streets sustained damage from a harsh winter, Polivick said many of them already were long overdue for repairs. Now that the funding is in place, he said the work can begin.

"You can ask anyone that's lived in the city for a while, we've done a lot of work building new roads, but not much has been done to take care of the one's we've got," he said.

More information about the projects and their locations is available at blog.cityofcapegirardeau.org/accelerated-concrete-repair-starts-july-14-on-hopper/.

Stormwater project

The road in front of city hall at 401 Independence St. also will be closed Monday, but not for road repairs. For at least two weeks, Independence Street will be closed between Frederick and Lorimier streets while large underground culverts are installed as part of the Broadway Stormwater Relief project.

Work on the project, which routes pooling stormwater on Broadway to the Merriwether storm tunnel, began late last year and was delayed during the winter by snowstorms and freezing temperatures. It's funded by the stormwater and sewer capital improvements taxes.

The project also will lead to other street closures as it reaches its final stages. The east entrance to city hall and Middle Street between Broadway and Themis Street remain closed, and Fountain Street will be closed at Themis.

The city recommends using William Street to access downtown while work continues.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Streets scheduled for repair

* Hopper Road near Clippard Elementary School

* Janet Drive and two intersections near Alma Schrader Elementary School

* Siemers Drive near Menards

* Abbey Road and Horseshoe Ridge

* Silver Springs near the West Park Mall and the Independence Street intersection

* Kenneth Drive

* La Mesa Drive, Monterey Street and Bella Vista Drive

* Clark Street near Cape Central and the Lombardo Drive intersection north of Cape Girardeau Public Library

* Henderson Street near Southeast Missouri State University

* Valley View Road, Eagle Ridge Drive, Fawn Drive and Oak Ridge Court

* Shirley Drive near Wehrenberg Cape West Cine, Lowes and Kohls

* Hackberry Street west of South Sprigg Street

* Bloomfield Road between South Kingshighway and South West End Boulevard

* Autumn Drive, Ferndale Drive, Stevens Drive and Woodland Hills Drive

* Saratoga Avenue