WORK ISN'T FINISHED ON STREET PROJECTS

The complexion of Cape Girardeau streets changes almost daily. What is blocked one day is open the next, and what is open one day is blocked the next.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Orange cones won't be a permanent fixture in the city.

Most of the inconvenience to motorists downtown have been the result of the city sewer overflow projects, which are designed to separate the sewer lines and storm drains. Unfortunately most of the projects so far have centered on the downtown area that happens to be the oldest part of town and needing the most work.

"The irony of the situation is that most of the infrastructure being worked on is in the older part of town --- the downtown area," said Councilman Tom Neumeyer. "The traffic flow most impacted is in the heart of downtown. The majority of people --- they can see beyond the concrete barriers, though."

As it stands the city has more than $70 million in capital improvement projects under way. Voters have approved sewer and water projects and transportation projects that are all being done at once. In 1994, 1995 and 1996 voters approved sales-tax and bond issues to do the improvements.

In 1994, voters approved a $25 million bond issue to fund the sanitary sewer improvement program. The program is being paid for by a one-fourth-cent sales tax that expires in 2015.

There were 12 projects included in the plan, and six of them were the city sewer overflow program. The other six were extensions and other repair work to the city sewer system. The projects will be complete in less than two months.

Three of the other projects are completed, but the lift station force main project, the Sloan relief project and the South Ramsey lift station force main project remain undone.

The city needs an additional $8 million to finish those projects, and the City Council will be asking for approval of the bond issues in Feburary.

City Engineer Mark Lester said the remaining projects may not even start this year, and they are in remote places where there is little traffic.

"These are far enough away they won't bother us this year," Lester said.

The city sewer overflow projects are nearly complete, but motorists can expect some delays in traffic at Independence Street from Sprigg to Lorimier Street for another month. Traffic at Morgan Oak Street will be blocked from Lorimier to Sprigg beginning Monday. There also will be detours at the end of the month at the intersections of Middle, Fountain and Lorimier streets and Broadway Street.

Lester said each of the Broadway projects will take about two weeks, but they will be completed one at a time.

"They know they can't do these all at once," he said. "They have to complete one before they start another intersection."

The other factor in traffic problems is the transportation trust fund projects. In 1995, voters approved a one-half-cent sales tax to pay for 20 transportation improvement projects. Currently there are two projects under construction at the intersection of Hopper and Kage roads and Bloomfield Street from Siemers Drive to Kingshighway. There are three projects in the bidding process and two projects that will be ready for bidding once some right-of-way issues are resolved.

There also are three streets left to be covered with an asphalt overlay this year and three gravel streets that will be paved.

"We have about a mile of gravel streets left to do next year," Lester said. "Hopefully that will be it with that project."

Also coming soon will be work on William Street from Kingshighway to Sprigg.

Neumeyer said the improvements being done now will pay off in the near future, and even though it is a hassle the city will be in good shape soon.

"We are fortunate that the people approved this by referendum," Neumeyer said. "In the end, the city will be a better environment and we will be ready for the future. We will be in an enviable situation to have all of this done."