Route AB extension project several years in the making

If everything goes according to plan, traffic on Interstate 55 near the Route AB exit to Cape Girardeau Regional Airport and to the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority on the Mississippi River will be less congested by summer or fall of 2011. That's when an extension of Route AB connecting the interstate and Highway 25 at Blomeyer is to be finished.

This project has been several years in the making. During that time, Cape Girardeau County has obtained the right of way, and the county, the Missouri Department of Transportation and the federal government have pieced together the $6 million to fund the project.

Earlier this month, a ceremonial groundbreaking was held for the project, which is being done in three stages. The first stage began in May when construction started on a roundabout at the intersection of Highway 25 and Highway 77 in Blomeyer. The second phase began in June with the grading of the extension. The final stage will be paving.

Officials say the new road will be particularly beneficial to seasonal truck traffic, including slow-moving and heavily loaded vehicles headed for the river port.

It's good to see this project is well on its way to completion.