WORK STILL NEEDED ON HIGHWAY PRIORITIES

Intent upon getting the Missouri Department of Transportation to agree to their wishes, Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Cape Girardeau County governments jointly resolved last week to ask MoDOT to reconsider its priorities for highway improvements in Cape Girardeau County.

A resolution passed unanimously by the Cape Girardeau City Council, Jackson Board of Aldermen and Cape Girardeau County Commission also reaffirms the governmental bodies' support for three highway projects they consider key:

-- An Interstate 55 interchange at the east end of a planned East Main Street extension in Jackson and a northern arterial route connecting to Highway 177 in Cape Girardeau.

-- A connecting link between Route K and the new Highway 74-I-55 interchange in Cape Girardeau that would become a segment of a Route 34-72 corridor from west of Jackson to Cape Girardeau.

-- Reconstruction of the I-55-Highway 61 interchange commonly known as Center Junction between Cape Girardeau and Jackson that would include moving the north lanes of Highway 61 closer to the south lanes.

Last month MoDOT presented a Transportation Improvement Study for the county that included a list of 13 highway projects it considers priorities. The Route K connecting link wasn't on the list, but the other two were, although not the highest priorities. Instead, MoDOT considers a top priority to be the widening of Highway 34-72 through west Jackson.

The local governments hope to convince the department to move their three projects up on the list, and one of them -- Center Junction -- just might have a chance. Department officials say it could be advanced on the priorities list if business property owners in the vicinity agree to participate in financing.

Through its hearings and study processes, the highway department has a good track record of determining highway needs and getting the improvements done. The local governments aren't arguing against the projects the department wants done first. They just don't agree that they are the most urgently needed.

Regardless of whether MoDOT is convinced to move the two projects up on its priority list and add the Route K link, the fact that the three local governments are unified in their effort surely will have some bearing on the department's ultimate priorities list for highways. There is no reason to believe that the highway department won't continue to entertain those wishes and perhaps realign its priorities.