WITH WIDENING UNDER WAY, MOTORISTS URGED TO AVOID BROADWAY STREET

For the next eight months, driving on Broadway will be more difficult than usual.

Sections of Cape Girardeau's favorite cruising street between Clark Street and Perry Avenue will be one way only, and for some periods of as long as two weeks single blocks will be closed entirely while construction crews widen the two lanes to four.

Work on the widening project began Tuesday and is expected to be completed in February. Besides widening the street, workers will make stormwater drainage improvements and construct retaining walls.

Equal amounts of land will be taken from the rights of way along both sides of Broadway to accomplish the widening.

Generally, the construction will progress from Clark Street toward Perry Avenue, but some stormwater work will begin at Perry Avenue and move westward.

The general contractor for the project is a plumbing company, Monroe Plumbing & Heating Co., because a substantial amount of the work involves stormwater drainage improvements.

While the construction is in progress, drivers should avoid Broadway "at all times as much as possible," City Engineer Mark Lester said.

"It's always unsafe, especially when people don't slow down."

For those who must travel Broadway, detours will be set up.

Attempts will be made to keep from adversely affecting businesses along the route too much, Lester said.

"I'm sure there will be some impact," said Lester.

When the project is complete, new traffic signals will be installed on Broadway at Clark, and the existing signals at Caruthers and at Perry Avenue will be upgraded. "We will be bringing them up to snuff and retiming them so they will operate more efficiently," Lester said.

The $2.1 million project is being paid for through the Cape Girardeau Transportation Trust Fund, which was established in 1995 when voters approved a five-year, one-half-cent sales tax. In August voters will be asked to extend the tax to pay for 13 new street projects.

Other road projects are due to begin soon in the city. They include:

* Extending Silver Springs Road from Independence to Route K.

* Extending Hopper Road from Mount Auburn Road to Kage Road.

* Overlaying streets in the downtown area.

* Widening New Madrid from Henderson to Perryville Road.