STATE MAKES PLANS FOR HIGHWAY 34

The long-discussed improvement of Highway 34 from Jackson, Mo., west to the U.S. 60 intersection near Van Buren, Mo., could come about over the next several years now that the Missouri Department of Transportation is putting together a preliminary plan for the costly project.

The department, which for years has been urged to upgrade the 85-mile stretch of narrow, twisting, hilly highway, suddenly seems serious about improving the highway. It is paying an engineering company in St. Louis $1.8 million to prepare the preliminary plan and is holding informational meetings for the public on the proposed improvement.

The last of three meetings is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. today at the Jackson Middle School cafeteria. Meetings were held last week at Piedmont, Mo., near the west end of Highway 34 and at Marble Hill, Mo., which lies along the east-west route.

Current plans are to first widen the road from west of Cape Girardeau County to near the Bollinger County line, in and around Marble Hill and in an area from east of Patterson, Mo., to west of Piedmont. Other sections would be improved later on so that the highway would provide four and five lanes with shoulders instead of the narrow two lanes that lack shoulders along parts of the route between the Grassy community and U.S. 67.

Highway 34 already is well traveled. Average daily traffic counts range from 13,610 vehicles in Piedmont to 11,900 at the junction with Highway 72 west of Jackson. Almost 11,000 vehicles a day travel the highway at Marble Hill. The traffic counts are expected to grow in the next 20 years to more than 23,000 vehicles daily in the Jackson area and 22,000 in the Piedmont area. The daily traffic count at Marble Hill is expected to climb to more than 16,000.

Far too many accidents already occur on the highway, and with those kinds of traffic-growth projections, the highway will become increasingly dangerous. Its improvement therefore becomes more vital for safety reasons.

The improvement will be costly. With limited and uncertain highway funding, it is unknown when the Highway 34 improvements might be put on the department's list of projects. At best, some work could begin in 2006.

But it is a project that is needed not only to provide a safe route from Cape Girardeau across southern Missouri, but a safe highway for all those who live in communities along and near Highway 34.