CITY NEEDS INPUT ON PLANNED BROADWAY PROJECT

Although it is nearly halfway down a 20-item priority list of planned street improvements in Cape Girardeau, the Broadway widening project is bound to get a good deal of attention. The street is a main thoroughfare from the Kingshighway corridor to the downtown area and riverfront, and it handles much of the traffic going to and from Southeast Missouri State University and Southeast Missouri Hospital.

City officials say the earliest work could begin on Broadway would be next spring, but that seems a bit optimistic. The priority list that was developed prior to the August 1995 approval of a special transportation sales tax put several hefty projects ahead of Broadway. In addition to a stepped-up street-paving program and related improvements, here are projects that are ahead of Broadway on the list: Perryville Road from Meyer Drive to the city limits, Hopper Road from Mount Auburn to Kage Road, Silver Springs Road from William to Independence and Bloomfield Road from Christine to Spring.

Of course, those projects don't have to be completed before work begins on Broadway, and the planning and engineering of the Broadway project is well under way. Preliminary plans indicate that the widened street has been engineered with surgical precision to make the most of existing right of way as well as requiring as little as possible addition space on either side of the street.

Because of the priority list and the preliminary work yet to be done on the Broadway project, there is plenty of time for input, which the city is seeking. Recently, an informational meeting was held at the city's new Osage Centre, and several dozen business owners were on hand to look at the plans and make comments.

Broadway is a busy commercial street as well as a heavily traveled thoroughfare. Some business owners along Broadway are concerned that the widened street will make access to their places of business more dangerous. On the other hand, many features are being designed into the plans that could be expected to make traffic flow more smoothly and safely.

One potential problem that was mentioned at the meeting was an increase in cruising by teen-agers. But the police department recently said it planned to crack down on cruising, which congests Broadway, particularly in the evening hours. Of course, most businesses are closed by then.

There is little question that Broadway is due for some major improvements. The plans for widening the street from Clark to Perry -- and, eventually, to West End Boulevard -- would certainly improve access to the university and hospital, as well as other businesses along the way.

The key is to make sure all of the concerns are voiced and considered before the final plans are drawn and contracts are put up for bids. Through this process, the Broadway improvements should be beneficial to motorists and businesses alike.