DETOURS NOW MEAN BETTER STREETS SOON

Often, progress doesn't come without pain. In terms of street projects, the pain is typically motorist inconvenience.

Such will be the case with the Perryville Road expansion. But the long-awaited project will bring welcome relief to motorists.

This week, the city ceremonially kicked off the project. The real work will soon begin.

Cape Girardeau voters overwhelmingly approved a half-cent transportation sales tax in August 1995. That proposal outlined a list of key road projects. Perryville Road, near the northern city limits, was at the top of that list.

The well-traveled road will be straightened and widened.

Its curvy roadways are the scene of numerous accidents each year. Increased subdivision development on the city's north side has also boosted traffic, making the situation even more treacherous.

As part of the transportation tax promotion, the city gathered community input at numerous community meetings. Time and time again, Perryville Road was raised.

For many people, Perryville Road improvements drove the Transportation Trust Fund approval.

Originally, the city had hoped this top project would be completed by now. But incorporating residents' suggestions into the design, as well as land acquisition, delayed the work. The fact it is finally moving ahead is great news.

It is a major project: $1.7 million dollars. A one-mile stretch from Meyer Drive to the city limits will be widened to 36 feet. Sidewalks will be added. In addition, the work will improve site distance at intersections, which will allow safer turning from connecting residential streets.

The work will take time. Completion is likely by late December. And motorist patience will be necessary.

Three other major road improvement projects are also waiting for work to begin. All are funded by the Transportation Trust Fund.

-- Widening Broadway from Clark to Perry Ave. at a cost of $942,000.

-- Widening Bloomfield from Kingshighway to I-55 at a cost of $964,700

-- Extending Hopper Road from Kage to Mount Auburn at a cost of $600,000.

The Perryville Road widening and these other major projects will inconvenience motorists and neighbors. But when completed, the city will be a much safer place in which to drive and live.