STREET WORK ON SCHEDULE; SPECIAL SALES TAX ENABLES PROJECTS

The city is on target to complete projects authorized under the temporary transportation sales tax program, city officials said.

"We would hope that by next spring all of the projects are either ready to bid, are under construction or completed," said City Manager Michael Miller.

For the last three years, people have been paying a transportation sales tax to fund specific city projects. The sales tax is a half-cent tax designed to generate revenue for 20 street-improvement projects under a five-year pay-as-you-go program, which means the city must have the money in hand to get each project started and completed. The tax expires in 2001.

The tax was designed for specific projects such as paving the city's gravel roads. The projects were put in order of importance.

"We are doing our best to follow the order that was voted on in the referendum," said Councilman Tom Neumeyer.

But that has not been an easy task. Miller said the priority list has made it difficult to get projects completed because of complications with getting the right of way for some roads. He said sometimes one project that is slated to be built first may run into complications that hold it up while another one may be ready to go.

Miller said because everything is pay as you go, the city has to wait until funding is in place to start each project, another factor that has slowed the process.

"It takes a little time to get the momentum going," Neumeyer said. "It is like a freight train: It takes time to get it started, but once you get going you are really flying."

Miller said people can expect to see more of the big projects getting under way.

"We will be going from hearing 'Why aren't you doing anything?' to 'Why are all of the streets being dug up at once?'" Miller said.

But he said there may be some overlap because all of the funding will not be available until the tax expires.

Current projections for the amount of money the sales tax has raised are still on track at about $17 million, John Richbourg, Cape Girardeau finance director, said. But the cost of the projects has gone from about $20.5 million to $21.3 million.

Richbourg said additional expense will be paid by special assessment fees, which come from businesses along commercial streets being improved. He said businesses on those streets pay the assessments anyway, but now that money is needed to fund the transportation projects.

"I think we always looked at the assessments as contingency costs," Richbourg said.

Miller said so far the plan has been manageable. But before the city asks to renew the tax, there will be public hearings to see what the public says should be done and what new projects residents want.

"Part of what we will be doing is going out and establishing what the community sees as the transportation needs after we complete this," Miller said.

Improvements at a glance

-- Expand paving overlay program (ongoing):

Bids for the 1999 overlay program phase 1 were awarded to Apex Asphalt Paving. Bids for phase 2 are being taken.

-- Pave remaining gravel streets (ongoing):

1.26 miles of gravel streets have been paved.

-- Street, curb and gutter repair:

7,170 feet of curbs and gutter have been replaced.

-- Sidewalk repair and reconstruction:

7,104 feet of sidewalks and 11 alley approaches replaced, and 72 handicap ramps installed.

-- Perryville Road from near Meyer Drive to city limits:

Complete.

-- Hopper Road, new alignment from Mount Auburn to Kage Road:

Redesign complete.

-- Silver Springs Road from William to Independence

Right of way acquired. Design pending.

-- Bloomfield Road, widening and reconstruction from Clark to Perry:

Final design and right-of-way acquisition complete. Bidding and construction to begin as soon as scheduled.

-- Mount Auburn Road widening to four lanes from William to Independence and traffic signals at Independence:

Design complete. Right-of-way acquisition pending.

-- New Route 74 connections at Lorimier, Mount Auburn, Siemers and Silver Springs:

Lorimier construction depends on completion of Mississippi River bridge and River Campus; Mount Auburn from Bloomfield south, design complete; Siemers Drive and Bloomfield south, complete.

-- Bloomfield Road from Kingshighway to I-55:

Contract awarded to Fronabarger/Lappe. Construction started. Silver Springs Road, Bloomfield south under construction.

-- Hopper Road from Kage to I-55:

Intersection of Hopper and Kage under construction. Hopper Road from Oak Ridge to I-55 designed. Right of way pending.

-- William, general improvements or widening from Sprigg to Main. Pending.

-- Perryville Road from city limits north to Route W and Cypress Drive. Pending.

-- Kage from Mt. Auburn to Hopper. Pending.

-- Mount Auburn extension to Southern Expressway:

Extended west to Silver Springs. Construction to begin next year.

-- Southern Expressway extension to Silver Springs. Pending.

-- Independence reconstruction from Pacific to Sprigg. Pending.

-- New Madrid reconstruction from Perry to Show Me Center, including realignment of Henderson intersection.

Design pending. Reconstruction of intersection of New Madrid with Henderson complete.

--Rodney, new Cape La Croix Creek bridge and reconstruction from National Guard Armory to Hawthorne. Pending.