SURVEY MAY LEAD TO RAISING 177 STRETCH

A survey crew from the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department is looking at a half-mile section of Highway 177 north of Cape Girardeau that nearby residents hope will be raised out of flood's way.

The half-mile stretch near the Cape Rock Drive intersection has been closed due to flooding twice in the past three years. A group of residents have been meeting over the summer hoping to persuade the highway department to raise the roadway nine feet.

Although the project isn't funded, highway district engineer Barry Horst said his office is proceeding with preliminary work. To get the ball rolling, his office and residents need more specific data and cost estimates. The survey is the first step.

The project can't go to an active design phase until funding becomes a reality

"We need to have a better idea of how much dirt and how much it's going to cost," Horst said. "We can't use ballpark figures any more."

The ballpark figures have varied from $500,000 to $900,000.

Highway 177 has been closed nine times in the past 23 years, nearby resident Leta Bahn said. Mississippi River floodwaters closed the road for 54 days in 1993, three in 1994 and 24 days this year.

The state route serves as a major link to areas north of Cape Girardeau. Many people use it to get to and from the sprawling Procter & Gamble Co. plant, one of the area's largest employers. The highway is used by Nell Holcomb School District buses and fire trucks of the East County Fire Protection District.

When Highway 177 is closed, motorists must detour for miles to get around the short stretch of roadway that is under water.

Horst said the crew is doing a basic survey to learn the width of the roadway, the steepness of the slope, the depth of ditches and other specifics of the stretch of roadway.

People who are affected when the roadway is closed have met several times over the summer. The most recent meeting was held Sept. 13. Residents offered help securing property right of way and have found nearby sources of fill dirt, said David Fuemmeler, superintendent at Nell Holcomb School on Highway 177.

Fuemmeler said the price tag goes up if dirt has to be trucked from far away from the construction site.

"We feel the highway department has been addressing the concerns," Fuemmeler said. "We've been trying to work with property owners. Once they do the survey, we hope somewhere in the near future the highway can be raised."

Bahn is spearheading the local effort. When Bahn saw the surveyors at work, she was encouraged that work on the project is progressing.

She said, "The highway department has been most cooperative and we are pleased they are interested in our project and are working with us."