TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS DISCUSSED

The number of people at Thursday night's transportation sales tax meeting was smaller than usual -- six -- but the concerns expressed were typical.

Solve the congestion on Broadway. Widen Perryville Road. Mark intersections clearly.

Vision 2000, an organization dedicated to the improvement of Cape Girardeau, conducted its fifth meeting to gauge citizen concern about the city's streets. Organizers hope, if they tailor a transportation sales tax to fit the people, voters will pass it. The tax has failed twice before.

City Planner Kent Bratton conceded the city's 200 miles of roads are in a state of disrepair.

"Obviously, you can't keep every roads in tip-top condition without the money to do it," he said.

Through the meetings, headed up by Councilman Melvin Gateley, Vision 2000 members are determining which road improvements should be made first if money becomes available.

At the most recent gathering, former councilwoman Loretta Schneider said Perryville Road should have been widened long before Lexington Avenue received any attention. As it is, Lexington currently is being extended.

"I think many people believe the work on Lexington is just helping people develop land out there and make a lot of money," Schneider said.

But Bratton said work on Lexington is part of a plan to develop a route that goes around Cape Girardeau, something several in attendance at prior meetings said they wanted.

Bob Robins, a Union Electric employee, said his main concern was traffic on Broadway. He regularly uses different routes to avoid the street, which becomes severely congested several times a day.

The next transportation sales tax meeting will be at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Red Star Baptist Church. It is the last one where people will discuss road improvements. The next set of meetings will address funding.