TRAFFIC STUDY IS RELEASED

A riverboat gaming development in downtown Cape Girardeau would not overwhelm city streets with traffic, according to a preliminary traffic study conducted by a St. Louis firm for the Boyd Gaming Corp.

The report, prepared by Horner and Shifrin Inc., a company based in St. Louis, is an effort to identify potential changes in traffic conditions that could occur and to outline the scope of a more thorough traffic study that could come later.

Boyd Gaming is one of two companies being considered by the Cape Girardeau City Council to have a casino development in the city. Boyd is proposing its development start at Main and Broadway, and run northward along North Main Street.

Some have questioned whether Boyd's proposal would lead to serious traffic congestion in the city from the estimated 840,000 annual visitors Boyd projects from such a development.

But the study suggests that streets likely to experience increased heavy traffic are limited to streets directly exiting the riverfront area and the casino complex. Those streets are Main Street, south of the casino complex; Spanish Street, approaching the Mississippi River bridge; and William Street, particularly the two-lane area between Sprigg and the downtown.

"Fortunately, each of these cases can be easily mitigated with a series of improvements within the downtown business district, which will increase traffic flow and circulation in the downtown riverfront area and provide a number of safety improvements to the existing downtown street system," the report states.

The report also says that "a successful development in the downtown area should enhance and compliment the downtown business district without overwhelming it."

Horner and Shifrin released the report Friday, and copies were sent by the city manager's office to members of the City Council.

In preparing its report, the firm talked with city staff, reviewed information from the Missouri and Illinois highway departments, and city officials were contacted for data on riverboat casinos now operating in Alton, East St. Louis, Peoria and Metropolis.

The firm projects 2,500 passengers a day, with about 480 of those utilizing bus transportation, and a total of 1,600 vehicle destination trips per day -- one incoming and one outgoing -- by patrons of the casino and entertainment complex.

Besides 1,600 vehicles per day from patrons, the study also projects 1,000 trips per day by employees. Based on information from other casinos, it was determined that about 5 percent of the passengers on the first cruise would remain on board for a second cruise and that about 15 percent of the passengers would remain to shop or eat at shops and restaurants in the casino facility or downtown.

Those assumptions mean that the peak hourly traffic volume would be 720 vehicles per hour.

It was also determined that of the 840,000 visitors, 9.5 percent, or 80,000, would be local; 522,800 from less than two hours away; 73,000 from more than two hours away, and 164,200 from buses.

It was further determined that 70 percent of all non-local traffic is expected to be traveling from I-55 and 30 percent is expected to be crossing the Mississippi River bridge. Local traffic, according to the study, would likely be distributed according to current traffic patterns.

Based on those patterns and the projections, Horner and Shifrin concluded that average daily traffic generated by a downtown casino would be: 296.4 on Broadway; 49.4 on Independence; 1,456 on William; 15.6 on Main-Highway 177; 26 on South Sprigg; and 756.6 crossing the Mississippi River bridge.

Traffic generated by the casino during its first year of operations would be: up 5 percent on Broadway; up 1.2 percent on Independence; almost unchanged on Sprigg; up 6.3 percent on Route 146 crossing the bridge; traffic on William would increase 36.4 percent; traffic on Spanish Street north of William would go up 23.4 percent; and Main street traffic north of Broadway (Route 177) would increase 10 percent, and south of Broadway would increase 57.2 percent.

"Except for the downtown riverfront area immediately adjacent to the casino, there will be no significant impact on the existing city street system," the report states.

The report also says that some streets in the downtown area studied, are currently underutilized.

Several recommendations are made for dealing with the increased traffic, including an effort through public information campaigns and signage to advise visitors how to reach the casino.

Road improvement recommendations that could be considered include: widening William from Sprigg to Main to four lanes; making Water Street four lane by eliminating on-street parking, or making Water Street one-way; provide an improved connection from Water Street onto William between Independence and Merriwether; installing a traffic signal at Independence and Water Street; and considering a traffic signal at Main and Broadway.

The report stresses that specific requirements of any final improvements to streets will depend upon the final architectural, engineering and site plans for the casino complex, and where drives and parking areas are to be located.

"Further analysis may also generate additional plans which may warrant consideration," the report says "No final conclusions can be reached regarding any proposed roadway improvements until specific details of the casino site are developed."