Utility work delays Bloomfield Road project

Longer-than-expected utility work has delayed the completion of the $1.25 million Bloomfield Road project by about a month, city officials said Tuesday, though they expressed confidence in a new mid-December end date.

The city intended to be finished with the road-widening work that's being paid for with voter-approved Transportation Trust Fund dollars by Nov. 16, but the installation of gas, water and electric lines have pushed that date back.

"They just took a little longer than we thought," said Kelly Green, the city's director of development services. "And we still have some utilities that are doing work. But I don't think they'll hold us up now. I'm pretty confident we'll hit this date."

The work began in June, which included the installation of utilities by Ameren Missouri and the city, Green said, though she added the delay was mostly caused by water and gas mains. The utility work took longer at the intersection of Benton Hill Road, she said, meaning road-widening crews couldn't move forward until that was done.

The project calls for removing existing surfacing, regrading and realigning the roadway from Stonebridge Drive to just south of the Benton Hill Road intersection. Also included in the work is putting 190 linear feet of new roadway on the adjoining County Road 206, installing retaining walls, fencing, storm sewer improvements and an eight-foot-wide trail along Bloomfield Road for walking and biking.

Joel Windeknecht, left, Chris Nance, center, and Dustin Cook with Fronabarger Concreters, Inc. smooth freshly poured concrete Tuesday, November 8, 2011 to make the recreational trail along Bloomfield Road in Cape Girardeau handicap accessible. (Laura Simon)

Still, the delay has some residents wringing their hands, noting that the closed stretch of street has led to longer drive times as they use alternate routes to get where they're going.

Doug Spooler, who lives in a subdivision just off Bloomfield, said he has to take a gravel road out to Route K by Notre Dame Regional High School to make his way into town. It's also made his work commute longer.

"It's kind of an inconvenience," Spooler said. "It takes an extra 10 minutes to get to town. It doesn't sound like much, but it adds up. ... In the grand scheme of things, I guess it will be worth it. I'm just frustrated that it's not done yet."

Other residents said they understand the frustration, but suggested it was a small price to pay to make a dangerously narrow and winding street safer.

Earl Norman, who also lives off Bloomfield Road, said that many accidents have taken place along that street -- including one that took the life of a young man near Norman's driveway.

"This road is dangerous," Norman said. "That's all you can say about it. ... These projects take time. They didn't rush it to the point that they didn't do the job properly and I think that's commendable."

The Bloomfield Road project has been controversial since before the work began. In May, residents complained at a public hearing about the 75 or so trees that were razed to make way for the wider 28-foot road. Some complained that the project would destroy one of the most scenic roadways in Cape Girardeau.

Green pointed out that while 75 trees were planned to come down, they worked to mitigate that number and did reduce it to 66 -- only six of which were taller than 30 feet -- to help maintain the canopy.

"It's still pretty," Green said. "We still have the canopy. We still have the nice canopy feel."

One of the things the city did during the design phase, she said, was opt to put in the trail that meanders through the tree line. A roadside sidewalk would have caused the removal of even more trees, Green said.

For her part, Green hasn't heard many complaints from residents about any delays.

"Citizens out there are very amenable," she said. "From the previous phases of Bloomfield, they understand the importance of these projects and the benefits."

Bloomfield Road has already been widened from Christine Street to Spring Avenue and from Siemers Drive to Stonebridge Drive. Another section -- from Benton Hill Road to White Oaks Lane -- is scheduled for widening in 2013, which probably will take out more trees.

All of these projects have been, or will be, paid for out of TTF money that is generated by a half-cent transportation sales tax that Cape Girardeau voters have approved every five years since it initially passed in 1995.

And while some understand the necessity of safer streets, some still express sorrow that the trees have to come down -- including Ward 6 council member Kathy Swan, who represents the residents along Bloomfield.

"I'm more saddened by the work on the road than anything," Swan said. "I remember driving it and it was such a pretty road. I hate to lose the scenic beauty of it, if that happens, but I understand it."

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

Bloomfield Road, from Stonebridge Drive to Benton Hill Road, Cape Girardeau, MO