Yes on TTF3

The 20 road and bridge projects completed under the first Transportation Trust Fund and TTF2 make the case for Cape Girardeau voters to approve TTF3 at the polls Tuesday.

Imagine how different streets and roads in Cape Girardeau would be if the half-cent sales tax had not passed in 1995 and had not been extended in 2000.

TTF1 and TTF2 enabled the city to make $40 million in improvements over the past decade, including the widening of Broadway between Clark and Perry avenues.

Voters extended the tax in 2000 because the improvements that were promised in TTF1 were delivered. TTF3 includes nine major road projects to be built over five years.

At $3.1 million, LaSalle Avenue would be the costliest. The proposed 2.5-mile street would become the northern entrance to the city and serve the area that will become Southeast Missouri State University's new research park. LaSalle would replace much of the current County Road 618.

The building of Armstrong Drive near the western edge of the city could lead to development akin to that found on nearby Siemers Drive. The project would cost $1.9 million.

Another important project would widen Mount Auburn Road to four lanes and add left-turn lanes in certain locations. The cost would be $1.7 million.

Other improvements are planned for Bloomfield Road, Vantage Drive along I-55, the Kingshighway-Cape Rock Drive intersection, the extension of Fountain Street from Morgan Oak to William Street and new turn lanes for Sprigg Street between Highway 74 and William.

The wisdom of the TTF projects is that they enable the city to make infrastructure improvements that are part of its planning for the future.

The money also is used to repair existing streets and to install street lighting and sidewalks.

The TTF3 sales tax is not a new tax. It extends the current tax. The city has been careful to make the best use of revenue generated by the tax. TTF3 contains projects that will improve the quality of life in Cape Girardeau while also helping the city continue to grow. Passing it makes sense.