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Road construction projects

MoDOT to conduct meetings on Highway 51 projects; Interstate 55 reduced to one lane (11/18/09)
Meetings on Highway 51 projects set The Missouri Department of Transportation has scheduled a community briefing for Tuesday in Perryville, Mo., to discuss two upcoming bridge projects on Highway 51. The meeting will offer residents an opportunity to discuss the Bois Brule Creek bridge at McBride, Mo., and the Chester Bridge that crosses the Mississippi River. ...

Area roads closed for road work (11/11/09)
Area roads reduced for MoDOT work...

Route P to be reduced to one lane today (11/04/09)
Route P to be reduced to one lane today Route P in Cape Girardeau County will be reduced to one lane today while Missouri Department of Transportation crews seal the pavement with liquid asphalt. Crews will be working on the section of road between Highway 25 and the Scott County line from 8 a.m. ...

Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge to be reduced to one lane for repairs (10/22/09)
The Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge will be reduced to a single lane of traffic next week while Missouri Department of Transportation crews make routine repairs. The work will begin at 8 a.m. Monday, weather permitting, and will continue until 4 p.m. Thursday...

Repairs reduce Route D, Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge to one lane (10/16/09)
Emerson Bridge reduced to one lane The Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge will be reduced to one lane of traffic Tuesday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform bridge repairs. Weather permitting, the work will take place from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The work zone will be marked with signs...

Traffic to start flowing across new bridge on Highway 72 (10/15/09)
Traffic should start flowing on the new bridge over the Little Whitewater River in Bollinger County today or Friday, according to a Missouri Department of Transportation news release.

Striping, paving projects restrict lanes on area roads (10/08/09)
Kingshighway reduced for striping U.S. 61, also known as Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau, will be reduced to a single lane of traffic Tuesday while Missouri contract crews restripe the highway, the Missouri Department of Transportation announced. The striping will take place from 8:30 a.m. to noon on a section of road from Silver Springs Road to Southern Expressway...

Route K, Route O in Bollinger County reduced for pavement work (09/25/09)
Route K in Bollinger County reduced Route K in northeast Bollinger County will be reduced to a single lane of traffic Monday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews make pavement repairs. The work will take place from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on a stretch of road between Highway 72 and Route KK. The work zone will be marked with signs and motorists are asked to use caution while in the area...

Road work closes roads in Southeast Missouri (09/02/09)
Section of Whitener Street to be closed Work on a Cape Girardeau drainage improvement project will close Whitener Street from Silver Springs Road to Pind Wood Lane for about three weeks, the city announced Tuesday. The work will include the installation of drainage pipes and inlets on a section of Whitener Street, one of several drainage projects approved by voters in April 2008. The road will close at 7 a.m. Thursday and traffic will be detoured via Themis Street...

Section of Whitener Street to close starting Thursday (09/02/09)
Section of Whitener Street to be closed Work on a Cape Girardeau drainage improvement project will close Whitener Street from Silver Springs Road to Pind Wood Lane for about three weeks, the city announced Tuesday. The work will include the installation of drainage pipes and inlets on a section of Whitener Street, one of several drainage projects approved by voters in April 2008. The road will close at 7 a.m. Thursday and traffic will be detoured via Themis Street...

Route T to be closed today in Bollinger County (08/26/09)
Route T in Bollinger County will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. today for a pipe replacement. Missouri Department of Transportation crews will be working on Route T between the Bollinger County Line and Route F.

Route A reduced to one lane (08/19/09)
A section of Route A in Cape Girardeau County will be reduced to one lane through Thursday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform routine bridge repairs. The affected road is on the bridge between County Road 253 and Walnut Street. Weather permitting, work will take place from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m...

Roads reduced, closed due to MoDOT projects (08/12/09)
Tree trimming to reduce Highway 177 to one lane A section of Highway 177 in Cape Girardeau will be reduced to one lane through Thursday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews trim trees in the area. Work from Big Bend Road to Bertling Street will take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day...

Section of Route ZZ to be closed today (07/29/09)
A section of Route ZZ near Glenallen, Mo., will be closed today while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a drainage pipe beneath the road. The section of road between county roads 806 and 830 will be closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Route C in Perry County reduced to one lane (07/22/09)
Route C between Highway 51 and Route P in Perry County has been reduced to one lane for chip sealing, according to a MoDOT news release.

Traffic lights to be replaced at William Street and I-55 (07/18/09)
Motorists who use William Street near Interstate 55 may encounter some traffic disruptions at night beginning Sunday while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace traffic lights.

Ceremony marks official completion of Highway 34/72 project (07/10/09)
After five years filled with challenges, the Missouri Department of Transportation project on Highway 34/72 in Jackson has come to an end. MoDOT officials gathered with area politicians for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday morning at the intersection of highways 34 and 72, known as the Starlight intersection...

MoDOT repairs cause road closures (07/08/09)

Route B in Bollinger County to be closed for bridge replacement (06/18/09)
The Missouri Department of Transportation will close Route B in Bollinger County from Highway 72 to Bollinger County Road 366 for about six weeks to replace a bridge over Little Muddy Creek. The bridge replacement, part of the state's "Safe and Sound" bridge upgrade program, will begin June 29. The road will be closed throughout the construction period and motorists who use the road will need to find alternate routes. Motorists are asked to use caution when near the construction area...

Highway 77 reduced today in Scott County (06/12/09)
Southeast Missourian Highway 77 in Scott County will be reduced to one lane near the Interstate 55 overpass near Benton for routine bridge maintenance, according to a news release from the Missouri Department of Transportation. The work will take place from 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. today...

Easing traffic in Scott City: First phase of project begun (06/06/09)
BENTON, Mo. -- The first phase of a project to relieve traffic congestion in Scott City is underway, and Scott County commissioners now have a better grasp of the timeline for future projects. During their Thursday meeting, Eric Krapf, a project manager with the Missouri Department of Transportation, presented commissioners with drawings of plans for the project's second phase and updated them on first-phase progress and third-phase plans...

MoDOT repairing William Street (05/13/09)
Missouri Department of Transportation crews will perform pavement repairs over the next two weeks on William Street, restricting traffic to one lane where crews are working, the department announced Tuesday. The work, which began Tuesday, will take place between Siemers Drive and Silver Springs Road. Weather permitting, the work will be performed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. Work should be complete by May 28...

Route A in Bollinger County to be closed today for repairs (05/06/09)
Route A in Bollinger County will be reduced to one lane while crews patch the road from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today, from the start of Route A continuing seven miles west, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. The work zone will be marked and drivers are urged to use caution while traveling near the area...

U.S. 61 reduced to one lane (05/05/09)
SCOTT COUNTY, Mo. -- U.S. 61 will be reduced to one lane today through June 5 while Fronabarger Concreters begins widening the shoulders and installing a turn lane. The section of roadway is north of the routes HH and ZZ intersection to one mile south of Grant City at McCullah Drive. Weather permitting, work will take place from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day.

Crews to begin I-55 work in New Madrid County (05/05/09)
NEW MADRID COUNTY, Mo. -- Guardrail repairs will reduce the southbound lanes of a section of Interstate 55 to one lane through Wednesday. Work will take place from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the section of I-55 from Route P at Kewanee to one mile south of New Madrid.

Route U work begins today (05/05/09)
BOLLINGER COUNTY, Mo. -- Missouri Department of Transportation crews will replace a drainage pipe beneath Route U, closing a section of the roadway between Highway 34 and County Road 452 through Wednesday. Weather permitting, work will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m...

Southeast Missouri roads to be closed for repairs (04/17/09)
Route U in Bollinger County will be closed today so Missouri Department of Transportation crews can replace a drainage pipe under the road, the department announced. The section of road between Highway 34 and County Road 452 will be affected. If weather allows, work will take place between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m...

Broadway road work sign displays incorrect date (04/15/09)

MoDOT performs road work in area counties (04/15/09)
Interstate 55 is reduced to one lane in Cape Girardeau County, as the Missouri Department of Transportation continues concrete repairs. Crews are working on the section of road from U.S. 61 to Route E. Construction is scheduled to end Friday at 5 p.m. ...

Roadwork to be performed in Southeast Missouri (04/11/09)
City to smooth Southern Expressway Cape Girardeau will begin a project Monday to smooth the surface of Southern Expressway between Kingshighway and Sprigg Street. Workers will be diamond-grinding the concrete surface, removing ridges and bumps that jar cars using the road. ...

Route P in Scott County closed for repairs today (04/10/09)
Route P in Scott County will be closed for pipe replacement today and Monday, the Missouri Department of Transportation announced. The work zone will be from County Road 266 to Route W. Work will be performed from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily if weather permits. The work zone will be marked with signs and motorists are being asked to use caution while in the area...

Work planned on three state highways in Cape Girardeau County (04/08/09)
Three state highways in Cape Girardeau County will be closed or be under traffic restrictions today as Missouri Department of Transportation crews perform maintenance. Route P will be closed from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. between County Road 268 and County Road 272 while crews replace a pipe under the road. ...

Drivers: Slow down for work zones (04/07/09)

ELIZABETH DODD ~ edoddsemissourian.com The Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge displays orange lighting to mark National Work Zone Awareness Week. ...

Roadwork to close part of Route P today (04/07/09)
Route P in Cape Girardeau County will be closed today while Missouri Department of Transportation crews replace a pipe underneath the roadway. The section of roadway is located between County Road 266 and 268. Work will take place from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m...

More paving plan frustration at meeting of Cape Girardeau County's road and bridge advisory board (04/07/09)
Members of Cape Girardeau County's road and bridge advisory board met Monday for more than an hour but did not vote or arrive at any agreements, as the meeting agenda was not issued until after 2:30 p.m. Monday, later than is required by Missouri's Sunshine Law. Board members reviewed the 2009 paving plan and spoke with residents...

Money for Highway 25 in Jackson included in Emerson's requested earmarks (04/06/09)
Shut out of federal stimulus funds, Jackson may yet obtain federal help to relieve traffic congestion near South Elementary School. U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, is asking to include $750,000 in the next federal budget for an environmental study and design work to relieve congestion on Highway 25 from Jackson Trail to the city limits. The request was one of 49 earmarked projects, totaling $92 million, submitted by Emerson last week...

MoDOT marks work season start with Operation Orange (04/06/09)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Transportation will herald the upcoming construction season with a its annual Operation Orange: To Make Work Zones Safe awareness program. In addition to the usual cones and barrels seen as MoDOT is working on the roads, buildings, landmarks and businesses across the state will use orange lights to remind drivers to slow down while moving through work zones...

Roadwork in Cape, Scott counties begins next week (04/04/09)
Southeast Missourian Construction on Perry Avenue/Perryville Road will continue Monday, closing the northbound lane of Perryville Road and Perry Avenue for two weeks for concrete repair work, the Cape Girardeau Public Works Department announced. Northbound traffic will be diverted from Perryville Road east to West End Boulevard at New Madrid Street, with detoured traffic being returned to Perryville Road via Bertling Street. ...

Next section of Independence Street to close starting today (04/02/09)
Starting today, Independence Street will be closed westbound between Kingshighway and Clark Avenue, according to a Cape Girardeau news release.

Traffic lights, sinkhole help among capital improvement plan priorities (01/15/08)
The next traffic light to be installed in the city of Cape Gir-ardeau is destined for Silver Springs Road at Bloomfield Road. After that, expect to see one at Independence Street and East Rodney Drive. Those were two of the easier priorities to set during a study session for the city of Cape Girardeau's capital improvement plan...

Cruising along East Main interchange (01/15/08)
Monday afternoon was the perfect day for an aimless drive. But Jackson city administrator Jim Roach and Mayor Barbara Lohr were hardly cruising as they tooled along East Main Street and onto the ramp to Interstate 55. "We're saying the mayor was the first person to drive the new interchange, but we've been driving it for six months," joked Danny Dumey, whose company, Dumey Contracting Inc., built the $8 million interchange and finished it six months ahead of schedule...

Cape County road plan approved, with conditions (01/15/08)
With a dozen easements still in question, Cape Girardeau County commissioners approved a paving plan Monday. The work, which will cost an estimated $3,147,500, will cover 21 miles of county roads. More than half, 12 miles, will get layers of rock and asphalt called chip and seal. The remaining eight miles will be paved with traditional asphalt...

East Main Street, interchange dedicated in pair of ceremonies (12/18/07)
He's been out of public office since May, but former Jackson mayor Paul Sander's name was among the most-mentioned at two transportation dedications Monday. Jackson Mayor Barbara Lohr said she kept her remarks and thanks brief to give Sander, her predecessor, the stage at the East Main Street ceremony...

Jackson will open East Main; rain delays interchange work (12/13/07)
The recent wet weather will push back the opening of the new East Main Street/LaSalle Avenue interchange, but the ribbon cutting ceremony will continue as planned Monday, Jackson Mayor Barbara Lohr said. The project contractor, Dumey Contracting Inc., is still ahead of schedule in working on the project, MoDOT personnel have said...

Southbound Interstate 55 overpass complete (10/26/07)
If the weather cooperates, the southbound overpass bridge of the new East Main Street/LaSalle Avenue interchange on Interstate 55 will open soon. Dumey Contracting has completed its construction work on that portion of the road. Dry weather will allow for roadway striping as early as today, with traffic being allowed to pass by late afternoon...

One job left to do on Cape bridge (10/07/07)
On a chilly day in December 2003, the ribbon was cut and the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge opened to traffic. Detail work remained, including adjusting the aesthetic lighting and running power cables to the aviation lights on top of the bridge. Those items took a few months...

MoDOT road projects scheduled for Southeast Missouri next week (09/13/07)
The following MoDOT road projects are scheduled for Southeast Missouri. Poor weather may cause dates to change. The St. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad, at the intersection of highways 34/72, 25 and U.S. 61 in Jackson, is slated for routine maintenance Saturday. The westbound left turn lane onto Hope Street will be among the work locations...

Missouri project would speed up repairs for 800 poor bridges (08/30/07)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri lawmakers are poised to approve a massive bridge repair project that could serve as a national roadmap for renovating aging infrastructure. Missouri plans to quadruple the pace of its bridge repairs by awarding a single, 30-year contract to fix and maintain 802 of its worst bridges...

City begins paving project on Lexington Avenue (08/16/07)
The bump drivers feel on Lexington Avenue between Kings-highway and Carolina Lane is getting fixed. Old asphalt will be removed, starting Friday at 8:30 a.m. and will be done before the afternoon commute begins, according to Geoff Dial, special projects coordinator for Cape Girardeau's public works department...

Residents raise concerns about bridge work (08/09/07)
NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- When Missouri Department of Transportation begins work on the planned replacement of the Route A bridge in New Hamburg, the construction will cut Larry Gosche's farm in half. Because MoDOT has decided not to build a temporary bypass to accommodate the 700 to 800 cars that cross the bridge every day, Gosche said he expects he'll have to go 12 to 15 miles out of his way to tend to his crops...

Work on several local MoDOT projects to start this week (08/04/07)
Southeast Missourian MoDOT will begin work on a number of road projects in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties starting Monday. n Crews will repair the shoulders on Highway 72 in Cape Gir-ardeau County from Highway 72/34 to Route B near Millersville, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday...

MoDOT holds public meeting on bridge project (07/31/07)
NEW HAMBURG, Mo. -- The work is still two years away, but the Missouri Department of Transportation wants to make sure it hears from people living in the New Hamburg area about a planned bridge replacement that will have a significant impact on local traffic...

Road to link Kingshighway, LaSalle Avenue (07/27/07)
The city of Cape Girardeau is rolling toward a major road project aimed at easing traffic congestion. The Lewis and Clark Parkway -- a virtual road formerly known as Technology Drive -- will materialize in three phases, with the goal of linking Kingshighway to another yet-to-be-built road, LaSalle Avenue. Lewis and Clark Parkway will cost an estimated $2.4 million...

MoDOT to plan for interchange (07/24/07)
The Missouri Department of Transportation will plan for a possible new interchange on Interstate 55 south of Scott City, the agency's district engineer said Monday. MoDOT district engineer Mark Shelton said it's "the first step" toward getting a new interchange for the Scott City area...

Route AB plan ready, officials say (07/19/07)
After years of discussion and planning, the extension of Nash Road through undeveloped land to Blomeyer appears ready to happen, say Missouri Department of Transportation and Cape Girardeau County officials. The project has been talked about for almost 10 years, since around the time Route AB was built eastward to the Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority in 1999. ...

State to test new passing design for roads (07/18/07)
CAMDENTON, Mo. -- Hurry up and slow down. Everyone who's ever driven a busy two-lane road knows this frustration:~ The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials calls it a "2+1" road. You wait miles for a break in oncoming traffic to pass a slower vehicle, only to get slowed down again by another caravan of cars and trucks...

Route CC to be reduced to one lane (06/22/07)
Southeast Missouri A section of Route CC in Cape Girardeau County will be reduced to one lane while crews seal the pavement. The section is from Route C to the end of state maintenance. The work will take place from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday. A bridge on old Route 61 leading to the Diversion Channel boat ramp in southern Cape Girardeau County is closed for deck repairs. ...

Interchange work could close I-55 lanes (06/22/07)
Southeast Missourian Traffic between mile markers 101 and 103 on Interstate 55 in Cape Girardeau County could be periodically reduced to one lane over the next few weeks as construction on the East Main Street/LaSalle Avenue interchange ramps continues. The ramps are being constructed on the interstate's northbound side and will serve as roads for diverted traffic to be routed over until November, as construction progresses...

County commission approves final list of roads to be paved (06/22/07)
By the end of next year, 35 miles of Cape Girardeau County gravel roads will have a new hard surface, the Cape Girardeau County Commission decided Thursday. The list of roads, which has been slightly revised since the County Road and Bridge Advisory Board submitted its initial proposal in May, includes 6.15 miles for asphalt paving and 10 miles for chip-and-seal paving this year. ...

MoDOT hopes to expedite Ramsey Creek bridge (06/19/07)
The Missouri Department of Transportation will push for the lowest level of environmental scrutiny in planning the Ramsey Creek bridge project. Eric Krapf briefed the Scott City Council on the project at Monday night's regular council meeting. The Federal Highway Administration required the study before the $5 million in federal funds earmarked for the project could be spent. Krapf said the statement findings will be made public soon...

MoDOT completes I-55 study (06/18/07)
Missouri Department of Transportation's Southeast Missouri office has now completed its study of the Interstate 55 corridor and a draft of what those findings mean, bringing the Ramsey Creek Bridge in Scott City a step closer to reality. The study, which looked at I-55 between Fruitland and just south of Scott City, was wrapped up a few weeks ago, and a draft of the findings was sent to MoDOT's central office in Jefferson City, said Eric Krapf, a Southeast District project manager involved in the Ramsey Creek project.. ...

I-55 project on schedule, project manager says (06/16/07)
Contractors working on the East Main Street/LaSalle Avenue interchange project are on or ahead of schedule, according to a Missouri Department of Transportation project manager. Project manager Andrew Meyer said the June 18 date for starting to divert traffic that MoDOT has been publicizing was not actually a deadline for diverting traffic, but the earliest anticipated date the diversion would begin. ...

Diversion of I-55 delayed (06/15/07)
Traffic diversion onto the ramps on the east side of Interstate 55 in the East Main Street/LaSalle Avenue project area will start later than MoDOT had originally planned. Diversion of traffic from the interstate onto the ramps that will service northbound I-55 was set to begin as early as Monday, but construction of the ramps has gone slightly slower than originally planned. Traffic diversion is now set to begin June 27, said MoDOT project manager Andrew Meyer...

City to improve intersection's storm drainage (06/04/07)
One of Cape Girardeau's numerous flood-prone intersections will be rebuilt in the coming weeks as the city starts one of two street drainage improvement projects slated for work this year. Construction easements have been acquired and bids will be considered tonight for drainage improvement work at the intersection of Themis Street and Silver Springs Road, city engineer Jay Stencel said...

McKinley Bridge between Mo., Ill. to reopen in fall (06/04/07)
ST. LOUIS -- The McKinley bridge between St. Louis and southern Illinois is scheduled to reopen this fall, and communities are hoping increased traffic will bring new economic opportunities. The rebuilt span is slated to open Sept. 25, after it closed in 2001. The bridge will have two lanes for vehicles and additional outside lanes to carry bicycles and pedestrians. It will not have tolls, as it had in the past...

New LaSalle Ave. requires easements (05/27/07)
City engineers have a definite route they'd like LaSalle Avenue to take -- a nearly straight shot from the site of the new East Main Street Interstate 55 interchange to Route W. The next step in the process is to acquire the land needed for construction...

County accepts road board proposal (05/25/07)
Rural Cape Girardeau County residents will likely see the most aggressive road building effort in years following approval Thursday of a proposal from the Road and Bridge Advisory Board. The Cape Girardeau County Commission accepted the proposal without change. The board leaders recommended the county put asphalt on about five miles of county roads this year and try a chip-and-seal paving method on another 10 miles...

City, transportation department will share cost of replacing 13 stoplights (05/22/07)
Thirteen city intersections on state routes will get stoplights with non-interruptible power following approval by the Cape Girardeau City Council of a cost-sharing agreement with the Missouri Department of Transportation DOT to pay for installation and maintenance...

Board to vote on road plan Monday (05/01/07)
Another week of study should be enough to finalize a plan for paving county roads, the Cape Girardeau County Road and Bridge Advisory Board decided Monday evening. The board, by informal consensus, agreed that they would vote next Monday on the plan that will maintain past promises made for paving this year and recommend a list of roads for a dust control treatment. ...

Study delays Scott City bridge project (04/16/07)
The environmental review that must precede Scott City's Ramsey Creek Bridge project still hasn't begun, even though $5 million in federal funds were dedicated to the project in July 2005. Holding up progress on the Ramsey Creek project, which is meant to bypass Interstate 55 and connect Scott City's southern residential area to its northern industrial area, is a federally mandated traffic study. ...

Broadway reopens (03/20/07)
At 5 p.m. Monday, Broadway in Cape Girardeau reopened to two-way traffic, and community leaders hope the project will put a prettier face on one of the area's essential arteries to downtown. "My hope is that the corridor from Kingshighway to the river will be greatly improved. ...

MoDOT holds open-house meeting for discussion of highway project (02/09/07)
Motorists will drive along a smoother, wider and straighter Highway 72 from Fredericktown, Mo., to Jackson by 2010, Missouri highway officials say. The state will spend an estimated $30 million to $32 million to improve the 38 miles of highway, said Jeff Wachter, Missouri Transportation Department project designer. The project involves widening and resurfacing the highway and paving road shoulders as well as some bridge improvements...

Broadway to be closed to traffic about 50 days starting Monday (01/25/07)
Starting Monday morning, Broadway will be closed to traffic from West End Boulevard to Perry Avenue for about 50 days. The closure is the first phase of a two-phase program to widen Broadway by 12 feet and add turn lanes at its intersection with Clark Avenue...

MoDOT repairing concrete on I-55 (01/25/07)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Transportation maintenance crews will be making concrete repairs on the northbound lanes of Interstate 55 in Cape Girardeau County. The repairs will be made one mile north of Route K at mile marker 97. Weather permitting, traffic will be reduced to one lane from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today...

Details of $535 million, three-year I-64 project in St. Louis announced (01/24/07)
ST. LOUIS -- Commuters who travel along Interstate 64 in the St. Louis area beware: Your three-year odyssey of orange cones, closed ramps and lane changes is about to begin. Gateway Constructors, the team hired by the Missouri Department of Transportation to rebuild 10 miles of the busy interstate, on Monday announced more details about its construction schedule for 2007. Overall, the project is expected to cost $535 million...

Road repair plan focuses on state's most heavily traveled highways (01/11/07)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri's most heavily traveled highways are in line for a makeover. The state Highways and Transportation Commission approved a new initiative Wednesday that will speed up improvements to 5,573 miles of major highways. The goal is to get 85 percent of those roads -- up from the current 70 percent -- in good condition by 2011...

Route of new LaSalle Avenue in Cape moved (12/17/06)
The third phase of Cape Girardeau's Transportation Trust Fund includes a new path for LaSalle Avenue, a roundabout on Morgan Oak Street and a wider Mount Auburn Road. The widening, extension and overlay projects will get underway in 2007 and have an estimated cost of more than $20 million...

MoDOT commits to new I-55 exit (12/17/06)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Missouri Department of Transportation is committed to installing a new Interstate 55 interchange near Scott City, pending the acquisition of funds for the project. MoDOT personnel met with officials from the Scott County government, Scott City government, the Bootheel Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission and U.S. ...

MoDOT to turn attention to bettering bridge system (12/12/06)
The early completion of the Missouri Department of Transportation's Smooth Roads Initiative won't expedite other projects in the immediate Cape Girardeau area but will allow MoDOT to focus on improvements to other roads in the Southeast Missouri district...

'Smooth Roads' paved 225 miles in region (12/12/06)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- With the completion of the Missouri Department of Transportation's Smooth Roads Initiative a year ahead of schedule, MoDOT's Southeast Missouri district engineer Mark Shelton said most of the major road problems in the area have been fixed...

Detours for Broadway (11/21/06)
The stretch of Broadway between Perryville Road and West End Boulevard will be closed for 50 days shortly after the beginning of the year, Cape Girardeau's city engineer said. The project, which will widen Broadway by 12 feet and add turn lanes at its intersection with Clark Avenue, will take place in two phases...

Cape to widen Independence, add sidewalks (11/18/06)
Motorists who have been bouncing along long stretches of Independence Street for years can look forward to a much smoother ride once the city widens the longtime thoroughfare, adds sidewalks on both sides and makes storm drainage improvements. The city wants to improve the street from Pacific Street to Kingshighway. The city improved a shorter stretch of Independence Street, from Sprigg Street to Pacific Street, in 2004...

Illinois, Kentucky to study I-66 routes (11/02/06)
Cape Girardeau and Sikeston both want the highway, which they expect would be an economic boon. By SCOTT MOYERS Southeast Missourian The Federal Highway Administration has approved funding for two separate four-year $500,000 studies to take a look at which Interstate 66 route makes the most sense -- either across Illinois to the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge in Cape Girardeau or through Kentucky to Sikeston, Mo...

Work planned on Route K/Siemers Drive (11/01/06)
Southeast Missourian The Missouri Department of Transportation's signal crew will be making improvements to several traffic signals during the next few weeks in Cape Girardeau. The crew will work at the new Route K/Siemers Drive traffic signal today and Thursday, weather permitting. Lanes will be reduced from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m...

Completion of ramp project expected this week (10/30/06)
By MATT SANDERS Southeast Missourian Scott City residents can expect slight delays on the Interstate 55 interchange ramps some time this week as ramp repairs are finished. Work began repairing cracks in the ramps in early September with the majority of it happening at night. The Missouri Department of Transportation originally said the work would be finished in early October, but rainy weather and scheduling conflicts have caused the project's finish date to be delayed...

Cape Co. wants to divert industrial park road (10/27/06)
MoDOT said the county has to come up with $530,000 or take over another road to pay for the change. By SCOTT MOYERS Southeast Missourian The Cape Girardeau County Commission wants a proposed 3.75-mile extension of Nash Road to go around 389 acres of prime industrial development property, not through it. But that change to the Missouri Department of Transportation plan could cost the county more than half a million dollars...

Linden Street reopens today with ribbon-cutting (10/27/06)
Southeast Missourian A ribbon-cutting will take place today to celebrate the completion of the Linden Street widening and reconstruction project. The improvements stretch from West End Blvd. to South Sprigg Street. Lappe Cement Finishing Inc. was the contractor for the $440,927 project funded by motor fuel sales tax...

MoDOT expects work to continue on Route K (10/13/06)
The Missouri Department of Transportation expects a contractor to continue improvements to Route K (William Street) in Cape Girardeau next week, weather permitting. The contractor plans to work in the area from I-55 west past Wal-Mart starting Monday, Oct. 16 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The work will continue for a few days until the project is complete...

Missouri unveils bridge repair plan (09/08/06)
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Flanked by a decaying bridge and a yellow school bus, state officials on Thursday announced plans to repair or replace 800 of Missouri's worst bridges by 2012. The project, labeled the Safe & Sound Bridge Improvement Plan, will allow a single contractor to both design and build the bridge upgrades as well as maintain the bridges for at least 25 years, at an estimated cost of $400 million to $600 million...

MoDOT plans ramp repairs on Interstate 55 (09/07/06)
Repair work will begin Monday on the Interstate 55 interchange ramps at Scott City, weather permitting. Work starts at 6 p.m. and goes to 6 a.m. daily. The southbound on-ramp will be the first to undergo repairs. The ramp will remain open, but traffic will be detoured onto the shoulder, with speed reduced to 25 miles per hour...

Bridge's fate rests with county commission (09/07/06)
Contractors removed the old steel pony truss bridge from County Road 439 Wednesday, taking the structure in one piece to the Cape Girardeau County highway maintenance shed. The bridge, which county commissioners have sought to give away, will now sit until a decision is made on which, if any, of six applicants will receive it...

Jackson awards street repair contract, hopes to add to list (09/06/06)
City streets in Jackson will undergo major concrete repairs during the next few months. The city awarded a $135,205 contract to Fronabarger Concreters Inc. of Oak Ridge to repair 27 streets through its annual concrete street repair program. Work is scheduled to begin in the next couple of weeks and should be complete by the end of November...

Project could affect Old Route 74 traffic (08/31/06)
Missouri Department of Transportation crews began work on Old Route 74 in Cape Girardeau on Wednesday and expect to continue work through today. The work began Wednesday afternoon, reducing the Old Route 74 bridge to one lane. Work will continue today from 7 a.m. to noon. For more information about the project, call (888) ASK-MODOT...

Phone lines cause Broadway delay (08/26/06)
City officials say they are at "wit's end" over a Broadway street resurfacing job that should have taken only three weeks but instead has taken most of the summer. Private contractors, however, say the city should have known about buried utility lines, which are to blame for the delay. At issue is a 900-foot section of Broadway near the entrance of Southeast Missouri State University...

Intersection closed for bridge work (08/23/06)
A heavily traveled intersection in Jackson has been closed until late October as part of the Highway 34/72 widening project. The intersection of Highway 34/72 and West Main Street was closed Tuesday so Missouri Department of Transportation crews can tear out and replace a bridge to make room for additional traffic lanes, said Kevin Plott, MoDOT senior construction inspector...

MoDOT touring paving projects (08/16/06)
Missouri Department of Transportation bigwigs will hit the road over the next two months to see what has been accomplished with 12.8 million tons of asphalt. Top officials of the department embarked on a "Seat of Your Pants" tour Monday to review how the Smooth Roads Initiative is working. The initiative, begun after the passage of Amendment 3 in 2004, is aimed at making 2,200 miles of Missouri highways smoother and safer by Dec. 31...

$8.1 million contract awarded for new I-55 interchange (08/11/06)
The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded a construction contract Wednesday for the new Interstate 55 interchange in Cape Girardeau County. Commissioners awarded the $8.1 million contract to Dumey Contracting Inc. of Benton, Mo. The East Main Street extension project includes grading, paving and bridge construction for the interchange located about two and a half miles north of Center Junction...

MoDOT to undertake resurfacing project (08/11/06)
Motorists traveling on U.S. 61 through Cape Girardeau and Jackson can expect a road free of potholes and brighter striping by the end of the year. Next week the Missouri Department of Transportation will begin a 10-mile long resurfacing project from south Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau to the Highway 25 in Jackson. Work is expected to begin at 6 p.m. Monday below the Interchange 55 overpass at Center Junction...

Paving underway on Scott City's Main Street (08/08/06)
For the next week motorists using Main Street in Scott City can expect nighttime delays. Crews with Apex Paving Co. began work Monday evening on the resurfacing of Main Street from just west of Interstate 55 to Route N on the city's eastern end. Traffic was reduced to one lane in work areas, causing some traffic delays Monday night. Work started on the east end of town near Old Illmo, where fewer cars travel Main Street than in the area closer to I-55...

MoDOT official: Interstate 55 interchange not on hold (08/03/06)
Andy Meyer of the Missouri Department of Transportation dispelled rumors that the Interstate 55 interchange project had been put on hold, announcing that groundbreaking is scheduled to take place Aug. 31. Meyer, project manager, spoke at a joint planning and z...

Jackson wants to tie Old Orchard Road plan to interchange (07/27/06)
The city of Jackson hopes to secure Missouri Department of Transportation funds to improve and extend an outer road along Interstate 55. Old Orchard Road will stretch along the west side of I-55 from the future East Main Street interchange to Center Junction...

Cape roundabout will be smoothed out in early fall (07/20/06)
Drivers of big rigs and school buses rejoice. Sometime early in the fall, the roundabout at the intersection of Silver Springs and Gordonville roads in Cape Girardeau will be friendlier to large vehicles. As part of the city's annual overlay project, subcontractors will lay 4 inches of asphalt on the roundabout, making the driving lane flush with the inner concrete section...

City hopes to finish widening by late August (07/19/06)
City crews will continue work on the section of Broadway stretching from Houck Place to Pacific Avenue for the next month and are hoping to complete it by the time classes begin at Southeast Missouri State University on Aug. 21. Last week, crews laid the first of two layers of asphalt, smoothing the road that leads up to the university entrance. The plan originally called for a net widening of 4 feet on the road, but because of utility conflicts, the widening will only be two feet...

MoDOT crews to repair I-55 lanes, bridge this week (07/18/06)
Missouri Department of Transportation maintenance crews will be making repairs on the north and southbound lanes of Interstate 55 in Perry County this week. The northbound repairs will be made a half-mile south of the Perryville exit to the exit from 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Wednesday. The southbound repairs will be made from the Route F overpass to the Cape Girardeau County line from 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Wednesday...

Road panel approved, now needs members (07/14/06)
Wanted: 11 Cape Girardeau County residents concerned about roads. Applications are open for slots on the Cape Girardeau County Road and Bridge Advisory Board. The board, approved unanimously by the county commission Thursday, is a response to public scrutiny given to road building since commissioners placed a half-cent sales-tax issue on the Aug. 8 ballot...

MoDOT looking into Kelso exit (07/10/06)
The Missouri Department of Transportation says it will study installing a new interchange on Interstate 55 near Scott City as part of the Ramsey Creek Bridge project. MoDOT project manager Eric Krapf said the project is still in its infancy, but a new interchange south of Scott City that would connect the Kelso area to the interstate and to a corridor running all the way to Nash Road may be included in the overall Ramsey Creek project, he said...

Construction begins today on Mount Auburn widening (07/10/06)
A construction project begins today to widen Mount Auburn Road from William Street to Bloomfield Road, with a ground breaking ceremony at 10 a.m. at Fire Station No. 2 on Mount Auburn Road. When finished, the street will be widened from 44 feet to 59 feet and from two to four lanes with an additional middle turn lane...

East Main interchange work could begin by Sept. 11 (07/06/06)
Construction of the East Main Street interchange on Interstate 55 could get underway by mid-September as the contractor races to get initial work done so traffic can be detoured before winter hits. "It really depends on whether or not the weather cooperates," said Andy Meyer, project manager for the Missouri Department of Transportation in Sikeston, Mo...

Bloomfield Road project moving, opening slated (06/30/06)
The Bloomfield Road Phase 3 construction project will be substantially completed and the road reopened next week. The road will officially open at a ribbon-cutting ceremony slated for 10 a.m. July 7 on the east end of the project. The $801,104 project is the reconstruction of Bloomfield Road from Siemers Drive to the Stonebridge subdivision and is a Transportation Trust Fund 2 project. ...

MoDOT chief backs separate truck lanes on I-70 (06/30/06)
ST. LOUIS -- The head of Missouri's transportation system favors separating large trucks from cars and other light vehicles on Interstate 70 between St. Louis and Kansas City. Director Pete Rahn of the Missouri Department of Transportation said heavy trucks make up more than 40 percent of the traffic, four times the rate for which the highway was designed in the 1950s, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Thursday...

Officials question proposal for county sales-tax increase (06/27/06)
A homemade county road plan proposed to the Cape Girardeau County Commission Monday underlined the county's lack of a firm plan for spending a proposed half-cent sales tax. The failure to provide a detailed proposal with the ballot measure, which will be called Proposition 1 on Aug. ...

MoDOT to help pay for Jackson sidewalk study (06/27/06)
The city of Jackson take a closer look at its sidewalks within the next few months. At a regular meeting of the Jackson Board of Aldermen Monday night, the board passed a motion supporting the city's application to the Missouri Department of Transportation for assistance in a sidewalk inventory and condition study. The city will pay 20 percent of the $9,000 sidewalk study and MoDOT will pick up the remaining costs through its Transportation Engineering Assistance Program...

Study: Cable barriers almost eliminate 'crossover' accidents (06/26/06)
WARRENTON, Mo. -- A new study shows that the network of cables now spanning Interstate 70 between St. Louis and Kansas City is saving lives and reducing the number of vehicles crossing into oncoming traffic. Out of 378 accidents in 2005 in which vehicles hit the cables, only 6 percent made it through, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation...

Rising road costs, leaner paving plans (06/24/06)
Drivers know they're paying at the pump, but they might be surprised to know they're also paying where the rubber hits the road. That's because the cost of asphalt -- the most common substance used for surfacing roads -- has recently spiked. The key ingredient in asphalt is petroleum, so as the price of crude oil goes up, the cost of roadwork follows...

County paving project under scrutiny (06/20/06)
The rules for selecting county paving projects need to be revised and changes will be in place before voters decide whether to give Cape Girardeau County more money, county commissioners said Monday. Addressing more than 60 people who packed the community room of the County Administration Building, Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones said there are several rules that should be overhauled...

Broadview Street to be closed this week for repairs (06/18/06)
The 600 block of Broadview Street at Maria Louise Ln. will be closed beginning Monday. The street will be closed to traffic from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily through Thursday. Traffic will be detoured onto Optimist Drive to Spartech Drive and back to Broadview Street during this time...

Mount Auburn widening project to get underway in July (06/14/06)
Cape Girardeau has contracted with Lappe Cement Finishing to widen Mount Auburn Road from William Street to Bloomfield Road. Two lanes of the road will stay open throughout the construction period which is set to begin in early July. Engineering officials hope to have the project completed by Thanksgiving...

Cape County lays out expanded paving schedule with tax increase (06/09/06)
A proposal for an accelerated county road-paving program states that Cape Girardeau County could blacktop an extra 19 miles of gravel roads during the first six years of a half-cent sales-tax increase. The detailed program, presented to the Cape Girardeau County Commission by county highway administrator Scott Bechtold, is subject to change and will be discussed at a public hearing June 19...

East Main Street extension work starts today (05/30/06)
Construction crews will begin clearing a path today in Jackson to extend East Main Street to the future Interstate 55 interchange. The first phase of the two-phase East Main Street extension project costs the city more than $600,000. Jackson public works director Rodney Bollinger said the contractor plans to demolish a house and then clear the land to make way for the roadway...

Roads closed due to construction (05/28/06)
Road construction along Highway 34/72 in Jackson will force road and lane closures beginning this week, the Missouri Department of Transportation announced Friday. Penzel Construction will working on box culverts along the highway project, forcing the closures...

MoDOT: Scott City's Main Street targeted for paving by summer's end (05/26/06)
The signs along Route K in Scott City say the street will be paved by winter. But MoDOT assures that the city's Main Street will be resurfaced before the end of summer. City leaders and residents of Scott City have noticed the signs at the edge of town -- MoDOT blue signs with a "winter 2006" completion date for resurfacing the city's primary east-west traffic corridor...

Utility project to close section of Sprigg Street (05/26/06)
North Sprigg Street between Bertling Street and Lexington Avenue will be closed to through traffic for utility construction Friday. The street will reopen Friday evening and remain open for the holiday weekend. The street will close again to through traffic Tuesday through the end of the week. Motorists not living in the area are encouraged to use alternate routes...

Traffic flow changing near Jackson High School (05/23/06)
Motorists traveling around Jackson High School can expect changes in traffic flow and additional stop signs around the campus beginning June 1. West Madison, West Jefferson and Colorado will become two-way streets. Additionally, South Russell Street between West Madison and West Jefferson streets, and West Madison between South Russell and Oklahoma streets will be vacated and barricaded...

A Global decision: Broadway business owners say the city isn't fair (05/16/06)
Owners of a local grocery store, Global Trading, are wondering whether all businesses are being treated equally by city hall in Cape Girardeau's Broadway widening project. City hall officials counter that they have altered their plans to accommodate the store and believe the process is a fair one...

MoDOT: Highway 34/72 project ready to enter next phase (05/16/06)
Missouri Department of Transportation officials will observe the start of the second phase of the Highway 34/72 improvement project today with a groundbreaking ceremony. The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. at Pioneer Market in Jackson. Speakers will include state Sen. Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau, state Rep. Scott Lipke, R-Jackson, Jackson Mayor Paul Sander and Marybeth Williams, president of Jackson's Chamber of Commerce...

Lawmakers authorize toll bridge (05/13/06)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- It's still far from a certainty, but a proposed toll bridge over the Mississippi River at St. Louis made its first move toward reality Friday as Missouri lawmakers gave their consent. Legislation given final approval by a 134-23 House vote would allow the estimated $910 million bridge to be built with a combination of federal and private funds. Under the public-private partnership, private investors could charge tolls to recoup their costs for the bridge...

Cape Girardeau street improvement projects should help traffic (05/09/06)
Several street improvement projects, including the installation of four traffic signals at heavily congested intersections, should improve traffic flow in Cape Girardeau by this fall. Traffic signals will be installed at the intersections of Siemers Drive and Lambert Drive; Siemers Drive and Bloomfield Road; Bloomfield Road and Mount Auburn Road; and at an entrance to the Westfield West Park off Mount Auburn Road, near El Acapulco Mexican Restaurant...

Next phase of Bloomfield project to begin Monday (05/06/06)
The Bloomfield Road project has progressed to phase II ahead of schedule, say Cape Girardeau city engineers. The final phase of the widening and resurfacing project begins Monday and will force residents of nearby subdivisions to divert 2.9 miles to reach Route K via Benton Hill Road and 5.3 miles to reach Wal-Mart...

Jackson aldermen set to award bid for East Main project (05/01/06)
Jackson's Board of Aldermen will award a contract at its regular board meeting tonight for phase one of the East Main Street Extension project. The lowest bid was nearly $260,000 less than the engineering estimate of $864,355 for the project. "We got a lot of interest and the bids were very competitive. We're very excited," said Rodney Bollinger, Jackson's public works director...

MoDOT newsletter made available to public (04/25/06)
The Missouri Department of Transportation will release semi-annual newsletters with information regarding the multi-phase Route 72 project in Cape Girardeau, Bollinger and Madison counties. The first issue of "Route 72 Solutions" will be released by the end of April. ...

MoDOT gets deed for East Main project (04/14/06)
A final piece of the puzzle fell into place for the Missouri Department of Transportation on Thursday when it acquired the last right-of-way deed for the East Main Street Interchange project. At a special meeting of Jackson's Board of Aldermen, city attorney Tom Ludwig handed over the 6-acre deed of land to Andy Meyer, MoDOT project manager...

MoDOT awards bid for next phase of 34/72 widening (04/13/06)
Just a few months after rejecting a bid for the same amount, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded a construction contract on Wednesday for the second phase of improvements to Route 34/72 in Jackson. Phase two of the project includes widening and resurfacing from one mile west of the Route 25 intersection to 2.2 miles west of Route 25. It also includes adding signals, curb, gutter and storm sewers...

Weather, I-55 work push back paving in Scott City (04/08/06)
Just over two weeks have passed since resurfacing was set to begin on Scott City's Main Street, but so far little work has occurred on the project and may not for months. MoDOT has no timeline for the resumption of the paving of Main Street, also known as Route K, from the Interstate 55 interchange to Route N on the city's eastern end, said MoDOT operations engineer Lynelle Luther...

Resurfacing work begins Monday on I-55 (04/07/06)
Interstate 55 from Scott City to Fruitland is scheduled to undergo resurfacing beginning Monday evening. Northbound lanes on I-55 will be reduced to one lane while new asphalt is laid over existing pavement, according to a news release from the Missouri Department of Transportation. ...

Cape repairing, modifying roundabout that drew drivers' complaints (04/07/06)
Cape Girardeau's controversial roundabout is receiving a facelift -- again. Over the next two weeks the city's public works department will make minor adjustments to the roundabout at Gordonville and Silver Springs roads, said Tim Gramling, public works director. Crews will replace broken outer curbs and gutters and redesign part of the roundabout to make it easier for drivers to maneuver...

Bloomfield Road construction set to begin Monday (04/01/06)
Construction is set to begin Monday on the first phase of the Bloomfield Road project. The project will close stretches of Bloomfield until July 1. The first phase of construction work will close the portion of Bloomfield between Siemers Drive and Ramsey Creek Bridge. City crews have laid extra gravel on a pre-existing utility road leading from Shawnee Parkway to the Stonebridge subdivision to serve as a local detour for the mostly elderly residents of the subdivision...

Cape's Main Street traffic switches to two-way today (03/27/06)
The signs are in place, the dividing line is striped and the loading zones are designated. Now officials can only sit back and cross their fingers. Two-way traffic on Cape Girardeau's Main Street begins today at 6 a.m. The police department will have officers stationed on the street, and will park vehicles pointing northward to emphasize the changeover...

Illinois will add two lanes to East Cape highway (03/24/06)
A $1.5 million federal transportation grant -- expected to boost economic development in Alexander County -- will be used to widen Highway 146 to four lanes from East Cape Girardeau, Ill., to the intersection with Highway 3. The Department of Transportation grant is part of a federal program that supports transportation infrastructure and economic development in the eight-state region covered by the Delta Regional Authority. ...

MoDOT's I-64 project to offer minority job training (03/21/06)
ST. LOUIS -- More than six years after protesters blocked highway traffic asking for more minority construction contracts, a plan to hire a large minority work force is moving forward on a multimillion-dollar interstate project here. The Missouri Department of Transportation has committed more than $2 million of the project budget to train minority, women and low-income workers for the Interstate 64 construction slated to begin by 2007...

Blocked artery (03/20/06)
In Scott City, Main Street is the quickest way to get from one side of town to the other. The corridor runs the length of town from west to east, carrying most of the city's traffic -- 15,410 vehicle a day, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation...

MoDOT: Jackson, Scott City projects could affect traffic flow (03/15/06)
Westbound traffic along Highway 34/72 in Jackson will be reduced to one lane today as workers smooth the pavement. The project will close the passing lane of westbound Highway 34/72 from Route PP to Main Street, according to a news release from the Missouri Department of Transportation...

Broadway project slowed by bumps in property acquisition (03/15/06)
City property acquisition continues to be slow going along Broadway with city hall and property owners remaining far apart in some places. A court date of March 27 has been set for condemnation of a 27-foot stretch of property in front of Global Trading Food Products at 1304 Broadway...

Cape City Council OKs two-way traffic on downtown street (02/22/06)
The Cape Girardeau City Council approved two-way traffic on Main Street Tuesday night, though it's not yet known when the one-way street will be restriped into two 10.5-foot lanes. The decision, which may have become a foregone conclusion in recent weeks, was not always so assured...

City draws alternative plans for Fountain Street extension (02/16/06)
Cape Girardeau is moving forward on a plan to extend Fountain Street, but city officials are not certain whether the improvements will resemble the ones already made to the stretch of the street south of Morgan Oak Street. The city planner's office has released a preliminary drawing of the extension of Fountain Street that will connect it north with William Street. ...

Interchange No. 1 topic at joint Cape, Jackson meeting (02/14/06)
There could be no doubt which city officials showed the most spirit at Monday night's joint meeting between the Cape Girardeau city council and the Jackson board of aldermen. Mayor Paul Sander and the Jackson officials came dressed in red, their high school's trademark color, as they welcomed Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson and the neighboring delegation for the 10th annual meeting in what has become a friendly relationship between the two cities...

Interchange expected to top joint Cape, Jackson agenda (02/13/06)
Cape Girardeau and Jackson city officials plan to give updates on several major projects when they hold a joint meeting today. With funding secure for the future East Main Street/LaSalle Avenue Interchange project on Interstate 55, Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson and Jackson Mayor Paul Sander said it's time to work out the final details of the project...

Two-way Main Street proposal heads to council after unanimous approval (02/09/06)
A plan that would make Cape Girardeau's downtown more accessible and easier to navigate took a step towards realization Wednesday when the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a proposal calling for a two-way Main Street and the reconfiguration of the municipal parking lot...

Cape city engineers split Bloomfield Road project into two phases (01/14/06)
The Bloomfield Road project will now be done in two phases, allowing it to remain open longer, in response to concerns from residents. The first phase will involve work between Siemers Drive and Ramsey Creek Bridge. During this phase, the stretch of Bloomfield Road will be closed with a local detour. The detour will lead from Shawnee Parkway and cut cross-country on a small gravel road to the Stonebridge subdivision...

Missouri Highways and Transportation Committee awards project contracts (01/13/06)
The Missouri Highways and Transportation Committee awarded contracts Tuesday for new traffic signals in Jackson and improvements to Highway 72 in Patton. In a cost-share project with the city of Jackson, traffic signals will be built at the Route D and Farmington Road intersection. The $92,181 contract was awarded to Cotner Electric Co. in Cape Girardeau...

Jackson selects street projects to benefit from road tax funds (01/09/06)
Twenty-eight streets in Jackson will have potholes filled and other concrete repairs made in the upcoming year. The available $150,000 to make the repairs comes after a lawsuit was settled between Cape Girardeau County and the city of Jackson regarding the allotment of the county road and bridge taxes. Both sides officially ended the 3-year tax battle last March...

Bloomfield Road closure unsafe, say residents (12/22/05)
About 20 residents met with Cape Girardeau officials Wednesday night to air concerns of safety, inconvenience and costliness concerning the Bloomfield Road reconstruction project. The project, meant to widen the existing road, will require a three-month-long shutdown of the half-mile section of Bloomfield between Siemers Drive and Stonebridge Drive...

Part of 34/72 will be opened to four lanes in Jackson on Wednesday (12/20/05)
Signals along the one-mile upgraded portion of Highway 34/72 in Jackson should be operating Wednesday evening, allowing all four lanes of the new roadway to be opened to traffic. This is a milestone in the three-phase Highway 34/72 widening project, said Kevin Plott, senior construction inspector for the Missouri Department of Transportation...

MoDOT offers Ramsey Creek bridge options to Scott City (11/22/05)
The Missouri Department of Transportation has given Scott City two options on the Ramsey Creek Bridge project -- take control of the project, or give up the reins to MoDOT. Scott City Mayor Tim Porch shared MoDOT's recommendations with the Scott City Council Monday night. ...

Rt. K resurfacing work delayed (11/16/05)
A contractor has postponed repaving of Route K until next week because of the wet, cool weather, the Missouri Department of Transportation said Tuesday. Work is expected to start Monday. Construction will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., beginning at Gordonville and moving eastward to Cape Girardeau over the course of the next several weeks, MoDOT officials said...

I-57 bridges being replaced next year (11/11/05)
SIKESTON, Mo. -- The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission gave the go-ahead Thursday to replace the northbound and southbound bridges over North Cut Ditch on Interstate 57 near Sikeston. The bridges are a half-mile east of Interstate 55. Both will be replaced for $2,379,861 by Robertson Contractors Inc. of Poplar Bluff, Mo...

Highway 34/72 hits roadblock with high bids (11/11/05)
High costs of asphalt caused the Missouri Department of Transportation to hit a roadblock with the Highway 34/72 improvement project in Jackson. On Wednesday, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission decided not to award a contract for the second phase of a three-phase widening project that will expand Highway 34/72 from two lanes to four...

MoDOT to discuss widening of Highway 72 with public (11/03/05)
The Missouri Department of Transportation is providing information at a public meeting today on plans to improve the winding and aging Highway 72 in Bollinger and Madison counties. The meeting will be from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Meadow Heights High School cafeteria, on Highway 72 in Patton, Mo...

Bridge at Cairo reopens to traffic (10/28/05)
CAIRO, Ill. -- The Highway 60/62 bridge over the Mississippi River connecting Bird's Point, Mo., to Cairo opened Thursday morning, nearly a week earlier than expected. The bridge was scheduled to reopen Nov. 2, but the contractor, Massman Construction Co., was able to get a quick jump on the work and enjoyed good weather, said Joe Lenzini with the Illinois Department of Transportation...

Broadway shops look forward to business as usual (10/27/05)
Ralph Wille found it hard to sell doughnuts amid all the construction work on Broadway. Some customers avoided his bakery rather than run the dusty gantlet of orange construction barricades and heavy machinery. It made for a long summer, Wille said...

MoDOT to fully activate new traffic signals on Kingshighway on Monday (10/22/05)
New traffic signals, currently flashing yellow, will be fully activated on Monday to regulate traffic at the intersection of South Kingshighway and Silver Springs Road, state highway officials said. The new signals are part of a $1 million intersection improvement and relocation project...

Jackson aldermen to take up lighting proposal (10/17/05)
Bigger and brighter street lights should welcome motorists driving into Jackson on U.S. 61 sometime after the first of the year. After being denied several grants to fund engineering for the East Jackson Boulevard streetscape lighting project, the city's Board of Aldermen will vote today on whether to spend $23,700 to fund the engineering portion of the project...

City to widen Mount Auburn Road by next fall (10/16/05)
Motorists going to the mall or Doctors' Park could find themselves traveling on a wider Mount Auburn Road by next fall. Improvements will include a center turn lane and traffic signals, city officials said. The Cape Girardeau City Council is expected to vote Monday night to authorize city staff to begin buying property to widen the busy thoroughfare from William Street south to Bloomfield Road...

MoDOT awards ramp repair contract (10/15/05)
Southeat Missourian The Missouri Department of Transportation will repair the Interstate 55 ramps at the Scott City interchange using a new construction process. The state highway commission awarded a $155,061 contract Friday to Gaines Construction Inc. of Wentzville, Mo...

E. Main project's price tag jumps to $8 million (10/07/05)
MoDOT said the previous $5.8 million design wouldn't handle future traffic. The Missouri Department of Transportation now plans to spend $8 million to construct the East Main Street interchange at Interstate 55. MoDOT previously had budgeted $5.8 million for construction of a scaled-down design that project manager Andy Meyer says eventually would have required improvements to meet future traffic needs...

MoDOT will run E. Main project underneath I-55 (10/05/05)
Missouri's highway department plans to dig a huge hole under Interstate 55 and extend a five-lane East Main Street underneath rather than above the highway. That is part of the latest design planned for the new East Main Street interchange, Missouri Department of Transportation officials said Tuesday. MoDOT has gone through 14 designs for the new interchange...

Center Junction light project may start next week (09/24/05)
The preliminary work for another Center Junction had to be finished first. Preliminary work on a 10-mile road resurfacing project is winding down at Center Junction just in time for a lighting project to get underway -- perhaps as early as next week, transportation officials said Friday...

Old Appleton gets new bridge (09/24/05)
More than two decades since a flash flood ripped down Old Appleton's historic bridge, a contractor hoisted the iron truss frame of the bridge into place Friday afternoon. Mayor Kevin Amschler said earlier this week that the decking and handrails for the bridge should be complete within two months...

Cairo bridge will close until early Nov. (09/13/05)
Farmers will have to haul grain 25 miles out of the way. WYATT, Mo. -- Farmers in Mississippi County will face a new challenge in getting their grain to market this harvest season. Just as the fall harvest kicks into full gear, one of the primary routes farmers from the Wyatt area take to haul their grain to market will be shut down, detouring them up to an extra 25 miles out of the way...

Temporary closing of Daisy Avenue required (08/30/05)
Weather permitting, the road should be closed for approximately three weeks. Motorists traveling through the city of Jackson will need to plan on taking an alternate street when trying to reach Route 34 by way of Daisy Avenue beginning at 7 a.m. Wednesday...

I-55 project pushed up six months (08/26/05)
Cape Girardeau County could have a new Interstate 55 interchange constructed by the winter of 2007, or six months sooner than originally expected, state highway officials said Thursday. Missouri Department of Transportation officials said design work on the East Main Street interchange project should be completed by April. The project could be advertised for bid as early as next summer, MoDOT officials said...

Ramsey bridge decades in making (08/18/05)
Scott City officials expect the project to ease traffic jams and attract new business development. Traffic congestion usually isn't a problem for towns of 5,000 people, but usually doesn't apply to Scott City. Nearly every morning and afternoon, the city sees the kind of bottleneck experienced in large metropolitan areas, and it has been that way for decades...

Officials lobbied to get more East Main funds (08/07/05)
Critics of the federal bill said the interchange highlights two problems with the program. When local officials lobbied for federal help to build a new Interstate 55 interchange, they knew that a practical road project involved more than just new exit ramps...

E. Main, LaSalle will be built with extra $5 million (08/05/05)
Federal highway dollars will pay the entire cost of a new and expanded Interstate 55 interchange in Cape Girardeau County and two connecting roads, local and state officials said Thursday. The government largesse could expand the project to include outer roads paralleling the interstate, but not without local funding, Jackson Mayor Paul Sander said...

Cape plans to widen south-side street (08/04/05)
Three apartment complexes hug Linden Street. The south-side Cape Girardeau street is also home to the county's busy public health center. Cape Girardeau city officials say the narrow street needs widening and sidewalks. The city plans to award a contract this fall for the street and sidewalk construction, estimated to cost nearly $196,000...

SEMO students will return to find wider Broadway (07/30/05)
The widening of Broadway from Park Avenue to Houck Place should be largely completed by the time students return next month for fall semester classes at Southeast Missouri State University, school officials said. Students begin returning to campus on Aug. 18, and classes start on Aug. 22...

Bill funds 2 local road projects (07/29/05)
Congress approves money for East Main interchange and Ramsey Creek bridge. The new federal highway bill on the verge of congressional approval will fuel two long-sought highway projects in the area: Jackson's East Main Street interchange and Scott City's Ramsey Creek bridge...

I-55 to get wider stripes as part of safety project (07/27/05)
Interstate 55 is changing its stripes -- they're getting wider and, transportation officials say, safer. The interstate is among the 2,200 miles of Missouri roadways that will soon be sporting a new look, with brighter, longer-lasting center stripes, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation...

Transportation sales tax vital, officials say (07/25/05)
Cape Girardeau roadways, current and future, relying on sales tax extension. Cape Girardeau's transportation sales tax is necessary when it comes to fixing city streets and building new ones, city officials say. Without it, the city would be hard-pressed just to maintain existing streets, much less build new ones to serve growing residential and commercial areas...

Road projects await passage of TTF3 issue (07/25/05)
Cape Girardeau would move ahead with nine major road projects if city voters approve a half-cent sales tax measure, Transportation Trust Fund 3, on the Aug. 2 ballot. Here's what would be done: LaSalle Avenue: The most expensive project on the list, it could cost more than $3.1 million...

Two intersections in Cape getting upgrade in lights (07/23/05)
The traffic signals at the intersections of Independence Street and Kingshighway and William and Broadview streets will be upgraded at night, starting Sunday. Missouri Department of Transportation crews plan to replace existing bulbs with new 12-inch light-emitting diodes. MoDOT officials said the diodes only have to be replaced once every seven years and use less electricity...

Intersection in Jackson to close (07/23/05)
Main Street in Jackson will be closed at Highway 34 starting next week as progress continues on constructing additional lanes to the highway. Main Street will close starting at 7 a.m. Monday, weather permitting. The closure is expected to last about two weeks. Motorists are encouraged to take alternate routes around the work zone...

Cape starts '05 overlay program (07/23/05)
Work began Thursday on an $834,000 project to fix problem areas and improve Cape Girardeau streets. Workers with ASA Paving Co., the contractor that won the bid for the 2005 street overlay program, began milling and patching asphalt in the area of Arena Park. Patching and milling will be done before repaving, which will provide a 2-inch asphalt overlay on selected streets. The project also includes some curb and gutter repairs...

MoDOT to meet with residents on plan to widen Highway 72 (07/20/05)
The Missouri Department of Transportation is planning to widen Highway 72 in Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties and will meet with area residents next week to discuss the impact. MoDOT will widen both 11-foot lanes to 12 feet and create paved shoulders from Highway 51 in Bollinger County to Highway 34 in Cape Girardeau County. Workers also will make improvements to some hills and curves...

Jackson to move water, sewer lines for widening of 34/72 (07/19/05)
Before Phase 2 of the Highway 34/72 widening project in Jackson can begin, the city of Jackson will move water and sewer lines to make way for the Missouri Department of Transportation's plans. The city announced Monday that it will begin moving those lines running parallel to West Jackson Boulevard between Old Toll Road and the city limits near the Jackson Medical Center...

Broadway project to cause traffic detour (07/15/05)
ROAD CLOSING Broadway to have detour today Broadway from Pacific Street to Henderson Avenue will be closed to traffic from 7 a.m. to noon today to allow for construction work on the Broadway widening project. Detour signs will be posted and motorists will be encouraged to use alternate routes, said acting city engineer Abdul Alkadry...

Jackson, state disagree on who should pay for lights along U.S. 61 (07/14/05)
Jackson city officials want the state to pay for street lights to provide a well-lit entrance to the city along U.S. 61. But Missouri Department of Transportation officials say the city should foot the bill on the state-maintained route. The disagreement is playing out in letters from MoDOT and the city...

Highway commission awards area road contracts, OKs five-year plan (07/09/05)
The Missouri State Highways and Transportation Commission awarded contracts Friday to add turn lanes and widen Highway 51 in Perryville and stripe 176 miles of roadways in Southeast Missouri. Commissioners awarded a $202,648 contract to Fronabarger Concreters Inc. of Oak Ridge. The project involves the addition of turn lanes 1,000 feet east of the U.S. 61/Highway 51 intersection in Perryville, Missouri Department of Transportation officials said...

Interchange means new street for Cape (07/06/05)
Construction of the new East Main Street interchange on Interstate 55 will pave the way for a new entrance road for the city of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri State University's planned life sciences research park and a new outer road along the east side of the interstate...

East Main interchange plan got its start in the '80s (07/05/05)
Editor's note: An interchange connecting East Main Street in Jackson with Interstate 55 is a project that has been talked about since the 1980s. Until a deal to build the interchange was announced last week the project remained a long shot, primarily because Jackson could not afford the $5.8 million cost even with help from the Missouri Department of Transportation. This is the second of a three-part series examining how the interchange came to be and how it may be developed...

Interchange project a long time coming (07/03/05)
Handshakes. Smiles. And laughs. Two current mayors, a couple of lawyers, a few engineers and other elected and appointed officials both past and present patted each other on the back Wednesday afternoon for reaching a monumental and unprecedented compromise that will bring another interstate interchange to the region...

Interchange agreement made official (06/30/05)
Four local entities strike deal to make East Main Street interchange a reality. Jackson Mayor Paul Sander waited about 10 years for this. In a room crowded with some of the area's most important dignitaries, developers and politicians, Sander, dressed in a brown sports coat and an American baseball tie, could finally announce Wednesday what he's been working on for so long...

Construction to temporarily close one lane of South Kingshighway (06/29/05)
One of the two northbound lanes on South Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau will be closed to traffic temporarily beginning today because of construction of the new Silver Springs Road intersection, the Missouri Department of Transportation said. The lane will be closed through July 15 in the work zone near Interstate 55, MoDOT officials said...

Pains from progress: Broadway businesses suffer during construction (06/29/05)
A street-widening project, slated to last into August, slows consumer traffic for some business owners. Autumn Demopoulos looks outside the windows of her Cape Girardeau restaurant with an uneasy eye. Just beyond the borders of California Juice Club, her Greek-styled eatery, is a two-block row of orange cones and bulky barriers. She sees disturbed dirt. She sees burly men in hard hats and tolerates growling earth movers...

Water St. tries for tourists with new direction (06/29/05)
Street improvements include one-way traffic and new panels that explain floodwall murals. City crews put the finishing touches on Water Street renovations Tuesday as motorists drove by on the one-way, southbound street, which has become a focus of tourism along Cape Girardeau's riverfront...

Jackson, MoDOT agree on Route D traffic light (06/28/05)
Jackson resident Van Riehl, like many other motorists, drives on Route D nearly every day. The traffic is always worst in the mornings when parents and buses take their children to school; when workers make their way to their jobs. Route D is one of Jackson's major east-west routes. It passes by a school, a gas station, a car wash, a day-care center and a funeral home. Several roads, which lead into large subdivisions, feed into the highway...

MoDOT OKs U-turn signs for Jackson's 34/72 project (06/27/05)
U-turn signs? U-bet. The Missouri Department of Transportation's District 10 office recently notified the city of Jackson that it would install U-turn signs at various sections of the Highway 34/72 widening project. Local merchants along the stretch, primarily Alderman Joe Bob Baker who owns a salvage yard there, complained recently that the lack of signs would hurt business...

East Main Street-Interstate 55 interchange moves forward (06/18/05)
Mayors of Cape, Jackson say they've reached an informal agreement on the project. Negotiations on an interchange for East Main Street and Interstate 55 took an optimistic step Friday. Jackson Mayor Paul Sander said the city councils in Cape Girardeau and Jackson would receive proposals soon, meaning officials have come to an informal agreement that would allow the project to be handed over to the Missouri Department of Transportation for final engineering and construction...

MoDOT hopes to spark negotiations for interchange (06/14/05)
Construction was supposed to begin this year with a possible completion as early as 2006. Stalled negotiations for Jackson's proposed East Main Street Interstate 55 interchange received a nudge in the right direction Monday night thanks to the Missouri Department of Transporation...

Companies win bids for road projects (06/11/05)
Two construction companies have won bids for new road projects in the Cape Girardeau area. Workers could begin construction on a new turn lane on Route K in Cape Girardeau and new lighting at the Interstate 55/Highway 61 interchange as early as next month...

34/72 widening project in Jackson to close section of Farmington Road (06/06/05)
Farmington Road at the intersection of West Jackson Boulevard will be closed beginning today as work continues on the Highway 34/72 widening project in Jackson. Farmington is a fairly busy residential street that many residents use to cut over from Highway 34/72 to Main Street or Route D...

Residents ready to sacrifice for better highway (06/03/05)
People living along Highway 34 around Burfordville may have some significant inconveniences when plans are finalized and construction begins for improvements along that road, but many of them see it as a necessary sacrifice. Don and Sharon McCarty may end up having to move as a result of proposed improvements to Highway 34 in the Burfordville area, but they aren't angry...

MoDOT proceeding with Center Junction lighting project (05/27/05)
Center Junction will soon be under lights while Jackson officials hope MoDOT will light up even more of the city in the coming years. The Missouri Department of Transportation accepted bids on the project this week, the lowest coming in at $201,784...

MoDOT anticipates record construction (05/25/05)
Missouri motorists won't have any trouble finding a highway work zone this summer. "This summer we will literally have a thousand work zones," Missouri Transportation Department director Pete Rahn said during a visit to Cape Girardeau Tuesday. "That's an unprecedented level of construction in the state."...

Business owners seek signage from MoDOT (05/24/05)
More concerns about access on the West Jackson Boulevard widening project surfaced Monday as business owners complained about the design's lack of signs granting permission for U-turns. Ever since the Missouri Department of Transportation unveiled a limited access corridor -- one that came with a median instead of continuous left-turn lanes -- there has been tension between property owners and MoDOT...

Cape project will close shortcut around Kingshighway traffic (05/23/05)
Motorists regularly use Kingsway Drive as a shortcut to Cape Rock Drive and a way around the traffic congestion on Kingshighway. But an $86,000 construction project this summer will eliminate the shortcut while widening Kingshighway to provide a right-turn lane...

Oklahoma Street closing due to road work project (05/20/05)
Oklahoma Street in Jackson will be closed at its intersection with Highway 34/72 today, weather permitting, because of road work, Missouri Transportation Department officials said. Crews are doing asphalt paving in connection with the widening of the state highway, a project that is expected to continue through the summer and into the fall. Motorists are urged to use alternate routes, MoDOT officials said...

Divided commission recommends status quo on Main Street (05/12/05)
A divided Cape Girardeau planning and zoning commission Wednesday recommended downtown Main Street remain one way southbound, citing frustration over the fact that downtown merchants couldn't agree on a traffic plan. The commission followed the recommendation of a six-member committee of planning commissioners and downtown merchants. The vote was 7-2 to forward the recommendation to the city council, which has the final decision...

Road work begins to add access to schools (05/12/05)
One of two northbound lanes on south Kingshighway will be closed to traffic starting today, weather permitting, as construction proceeds on the Silver Springs Road intersection project, state highway officials said. Missouri Department of Transportation officials said this will be the first in a series of lane closures that will occur over the next several months on the busy north-south highway as a result of the construction project...

MoDOT finishes key step in road project (05/07/05)
Missouri Department of Transportation officials have taken another step in the long-range plans to improve Highway 34 between U.S. 60 and Jackson. An engineering and consulting firm hired by MoDOT has wrapped up a draft environmental impact statement on the 85-mile stretch. The report concludes about five years of study...

Work begun to transform Water Street (05/07/05)
Construction crews will transform Cape Girardeau's Water Street into a scenic one-way road for tourists visiting the colorful floodwall mural, but the initial construction work involves water lines, not aesthetics. Workers with Alliance Water Resources, the company that operates the city's water system, are tearing up the pavement and installing two water lines: a 12-inch line to boost water pressure downtown and a 20-inch pipe...

Committee recommends keeping Main Street one way (05/05/05)
Main Street would stay a one-way, southbound street in downtown Cape Girardeau if a city planning committee gets its way. The committee also recommended Wednesday night that Water Street be turned into a one-way southbound road, meaning that there will be two parallel southbound, downtown streets within a block of each other...

Delays may put interchange off for another year (05/05/05)
As a deadline approaches that would put the East Main Street Interstate 55 interchange construction off for another year, the negotiating parties continue to tug and pull at each other over property acquisition. Since January, Jackson city officials have said an intergovernmental agreement was only a couple weeks away from becoming official...

Broadway tightens up as construction starts (05/04/05)
Motorists could find it a tight squeeze on Broadway early Thursday as work begins to widen a two-block section of the busy Cape Girardeau street and revamp the Henderson Avenue intersection. But city and Southeast Missouri State University officials insist there's enough room to handle the temporary traffic changes...

Lighting the way (05/03/05)
Motorists may see red over a national study that gives low marks to the nation's traffic signals, but officials with the city of Cape Girardeau and the Missouri Department of Transportation say their lights aren't the problem. Outdated and inefficient traffic signals force commuters to sit in traffic congestion, waste gasoline and pollute the air, according to the Institute of Transportation Engineers in Washington, D.C...

Jackson to decide on plan for new road cash (04/04/05)
The Jackson Board of Aldermen and city officials have found themselves holding a $150,000 pot of money, thanks to a road and bridge tax settlement with Cape Girardeau County. This $150,000 is taxpayer money, funds that have come out of property and real estate taxes from the residents of Jackson. It must go toward road and bridge improvements in the city...

Cape council approves transportation measures (03/22/05)
Better roads. Better air service. The Cape Girardeau City Council showed support for those two goals in approving three different measures at Monday night's meeting. The council approved an agreement with the Missouri Department of Transportation for resurfacing Kingshighway. The construction of a right-turn lane at Kingshighway and Cape Rock Drive will be part of the state-funded project...

34/72 project makes visible progress (03/09/05)
Construction crews have recently made noticeable progress on certain parts of the $5.2 million Highway 34/72 widening project in Jackson. The most obvious sign of work is the concrete that has been poured on the bridge over Hubble Creek. Paul Koeper, the vice president of Penzel Construction, said the northern section of the bridge should be opened as a bypass in the middle of next month...

Cape's P&Z commissioners settle on street name change (03/09/05)
Cape Girardeau city officials don't want a proposed $3 million street project to start off with a bad name before voters even approve the project. So it's out with Coker Road and in with LaSalle Avenue for a major east-west street that will provide a new entrance into the city from Interstate 55...

P&Z: If Water Street goes one way, Main Street must be changed (02/24/05)
Nearly a year after the issue was first discussed, the Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission finally took action Wednesday night on the issue of making Water Street one way. It was only a tentative step, however, as other issues, such as what to do with Main Street, must still be decided...

Cape fuel tax money won't go toward airport, bus projects (02/23/05)
The Cape Girardeau City Council won't tap into motor fuel tax money to help fund airport projects. The state constitution won't allow it, city officials said Tuesday. The council also won't seek to fund transit buses with transportation sales tax money. ...

City fuel tax money may go to airport upgrades (02/18/05)
Cape Girardeau should use some of its motor fuel tax money to help fund airport improvements designed to boost boardings and secure more federal dollars, Mayor Jay Knudtson suggested Thursday. The city, he said, needs to look to make the best use of the $1.4 million in motor fuel tax money it receives annually...

MoDOT starts to narrow statewide projects (02/16/05)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- State transportation officials from throughout Missouri set to work Tuesday whittling a list of more than $3 billion worth of highway improvements identified as regional priorities to a $1.3 billion roster. Of the 59 projects under consideration for funding between 2006 and 2010, seven are in Southeast Missouri. Those projects carry a combined estimated cost of $230.5 million...

Commission reviews latest proposal for Water Street (02/10/05)
A plan to turn Water Street into a one-way southbound road along the Cape Girardeau riverfront needs more study, planning and zoning commissioners said Wednesday night. "The last thing you want to do is make it too confusing," said commission chairman Skip Smallwood...

Southeast will widen Broadway under agreement with council (02/08/05)
A section of busy, two-lane Broadway that has long been a traffic bottleneck will be widened this year under an agreement between the city of Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri State University that will speed up the estimated $1.3 million construction project...

Commission awards Silver Springs Road contract (02/03/05)
The state highway commission awarded a $1 million contract Wednesday to Lappe Cement Finishing Inc. of Perryville, Mo., to construct a new Silver Springs Road intersection at South Kingshighway and add traffic signals. But it's the city of Cape Girardeau that will pay the bulk of the cost...

Jackson, Cape join on plans for roads (01/23/05)
Cape Girardeau and Jackson city councils will consider endorsing three proposed state highway projects when they hold a joint meeting Monday night. Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson and Jackson Mayor Paul Sander said the councils hope to convince the Missouri Department of Transportation to widen Interstate 55 from Scott City to Fruitland, improve U.S. 61 from Fruitland to Jackson and Highway 25 from Jackson to Dutchtown...

MoDOT plans to resurface part of U.S. 61 in Scott Co. (01/20/05)
In one of its latest rounds of road projects, the Missouri Department of Transportation has announced it will resurface 12.6 miles of U.S. 61 from Scott City to Highway 77 at Morley. The project is one of many MoDOT has scheduled for Southeast Missouri, and is designed to maintain existing roadways in need of resurfacing...

Panel approves $600 million in road projects across state (01/15/05)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri transportation officials approved more than $600 million in road projects Friday. The work includes more than 100 projects, worth $200 million, of repaving, striping and other safety improvements as part of the Missouri Department of Transportation's Smooth Roads Initiative...

Mayor - Cape must address Lexington Ave. bottleneck (01/10/05)
Traffic congestion has made the Lexington Avenue/Route W intersection a driver's nightmare and sparked frustration from Cape Girardeau's mayor. "I am at this point sick and tired of defending it to citizens because I can't," Mayor Jay Knudtson said. "I feel it is a terribly cumbersome and confusing interchange that we are asking citizens to navigate through. We need to do something about it."...

Road crews filling potholes after snow (01/05/05)
Potholes have turned some area roads into bone-jarring obstacle courses in the aftermath of the December snowstorm, prompting city and state road crews to patch pavement this week. "The taxpayer deserves to not have to hit potholes," said Missouri Department of Transportation district engineer Scott Meyer. "But we can't be everywhere at once. That is the problem."...

Cape council receives recommendations for road repair (01/04/05)
Cape Girardeau would benefit from $20.3 million in new and improved roads if voters extend the half-cent transportation sales tax, planning and zoning commission representatives told the city council Monday night. The formal presentation included a list of nine road projects in addition to the paving of existing streets and building and repairing sidewalks over a five-year period, beginning in 2006 and ending in 2010...

Jackson readies road project wish list (12/16/04)
The city of Jackson recently started planning how to spend road and bridge tax revenue that is still tied up in court. City officials brought some ideas to the Jackson Board of Aldermen, and the council discussed the issue at Monday night's study session...

State aims new funds at 57 road projects (12/11/04)
State transportation commissioners on Friday approved the expenditure of $159 million on 57 road projects, including seven in Southeast Missouri -- the first beneficiaries of a funding plan approved by voters in November. The project list marks the first phase of the transportation department's "smooth roads" initiative that eventually will spend about $400 million on repaving, striping and other road safety improvements during the next three years...

SEMO joins Cape in street project (12/11/04)
Southeast Missouri State University plans to take advantage of Cape Girardeau's Broadway widening project to dress up the Broadway-Henderson Avenue entrance to the campus with improved parking, green space and monument signs designating the school...

Kingshighway to brighten up with 61 new street lights (12/10/04)
Even headlights aren't enough to light up the darkened outskirts of Cape Girardeau along North Kingshighway as motorists head into the city at night. But that should change by early next year as the city completes a $177,000 project to install 61 street lights along 1.4 miles of Kingshighway from Interstate 55 to the south entrance of Boulder Crest. The route borders two county parks, the veterans home and Memorial Park Cemetery...

MoDOT listens to Route AB concerns (12/10/04)
Before the Missouri Department of Transportation submits a final plan to move Route AB, officials from that agency want to hear what the people who will drive on it have to say. In 90 minutes time Thursday afternoon, about 60 people came to the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport to discuss the project, said Eric Krapf, project engineer from Sikeston, Mo ...

P&Z lays out 9 new Cape road projects (12/09/04)
The city would widen sections of Mount Auburn Road, Bloomfield Road and South Sprigg Street, as well as improve the Kingshighway-Cape Rock Drive intersection and extend Fountain Street as part of a $20.3 million road improvements plan that would take voter approval to fund...

Paving company offers asphalt deal to Jackson (12/09/04)
Farmington Road north of Route D was set for a barber-shop haircut. What it will get instead is a complete surface makeover. Thanks to a sweet deal offered by Delta Asphalt, the motorists who use the collector street every day will get a long-term solution to the pothole problem...

Region prepares roadway 'wish list' for MoDOT (12/08/04)
A Southeast Missouri planning committee wants the Missouri Department of Transportation to add seven road and bridge projects in Cape Girardeau County to the state's rolling, five-year transportation plan. Heading the list is a new two-lane route west of Interstate 55 that would extend from Highway 74 north to Route K and west through Gordonville to Highway 34...

Off the beaten paths (12/08/04)
The Southeast Missouri Regional Port Authority is a rugged place. Eighteen-wheelers hum, dump and rumble to the eclectic rhythm of agriculture, industry and transportation. The men who operate the trucks or help load and unload raw materials are blue-jean guys who wear steel-toed boots, ballcaps and three-day beards...

Broadway widening would cost two homes (12/07/04)
The Cape Girardeau City Council voted Monday to proceed with plans to widen Broadway between Perry Avenue and Houck Place despite opposition from a woman who said she didn't want to lose her home and art studio to the road project. Lauren Tracy told the council she doesn't want to leave the brick home at 1310 Broadway. Tracy said she bought the house just east of the Hardee's restaurant two years ago...

MoDOT seeks input on Route AB project (11/23/04)
The extension would increase access to industries on the road. By Bob Miller ~ Southeast Missourian The plan for a new paved corridor from Highway 25 to Interstate 55 is ready for public consumption. The Missouri Department of Transportation has invited the public to review its latest big-project-in-the-making, a 3.5-mile extension of Route AB in southern Cape Girardeau County to Highway 25 at Blomeyer...

Remodeling of Route K is complete (11/20/04)
It's a lot easier to get into Westfield Shoppingtown West Park, and Route K is not nearly so congested leaving the stores and businesses on Siemers Drive. Work that began just after Labor Day to widen Route K is now finished. Stan Johnson, area engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation, said that Route K now has two left turn lanes going into Mount Auburn Road from both directions. ...

MoDOT seeks to improve 2,200 busiest miles of road (11/17/04)
Sections of three major highways in Southeast Missouri will be resurfaced under the Missouri Department of Transportation's "smooth roads" program, but exact locations for such roadwork haven't been determined, MoDOT officials said Tuesday. MoDOT plans to spend $400 million over the next three years to put a smooth surface and safety features on the state's 2,200 busiest miles of highway...

Cape city council OK's plan for Bloomfield Road (11/16/04)
A wider Bloomfield Road will come within 4 1/2 feet of a 64-year-old stone wall bordering a residence that was formerly a rural school building. The Cape Girardeau City Council approved the design plan for the estimated $1.79 million project on a 5-1 vote despite opposition from Jane Cox, owner of the former Campster schoolhouse in the 3800 block of Bloomfield Road. She said she feared speeding motorists would crash into the wall and damage it...

Increasing the flow of traffic (11/17/04)
Construction crews are close to finishing major improvements near Interstate 55 and William Street. The $1 million project could be finished before Thanksgiving, said Missouri Department of Transportation district engineer Scott Meyer. "It is rapidly wrapping up," he said. "We are trying to get out before the Christmas rush."...

Council to discuss widening Bloomfield (11/15/04)
More than five months after Cape Girardeau opened a new, wider Bloomfield Road bridge west of Interstate 55, city officials are still laboring over design plans to widen the road on both sides of the span. The city council is expected to discuss the design plans at tonight's council meeting and authorize city staff to acquire the necessary right of way to improve a 3,450-foot stretch of street from Siemers Drive to Stonebridge Drive...

House committee hears four-lane needs in Poplar Bluff (11/12/04)
Daily American Republic POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Five members of the Missouri House interim transportation committee came to Poplar Bluff to listen Tuesday and they heard plenty from those who want Highway 67 four-laned as soon as possible. "We learned U.S. 67 is very important to this community," said Rep. Neal St. Onge of Ballwin, who was making his first visit to Poplar Bluff...

P and Z stuck on Fountain Street project (11/11/04)
Cape Girardeau's planning and zoning commission remains stuck in debate over the proposed design for extending Fountain Street and how much it would cost to build. Smith & Co., a Poplar Bluff, Mo., engineering firm, estimates it would cost more than $1.23 million to build a decorative, divided boulevard with a brick-paved roadway and roundabouts at three downtown intersections. ...

Jackson aldermen OK street repair program (11/04/04)
Jackson residents may see even more construction crews in the next few days as the city has approved its latest asphalt improvement program. The board of aldermen on Monday night accepted a $107,526 bid from the Apex Paving Co. This is in addition to the Missouri Department of Transportation's major widening project that is under construction on West Jackson Boulevard...

Committee scraps plan for street near federal courthouse (10/20/04)
Cape Girardeau planning and zoning commission members on Tuesday scrapped plans for a connector street adjacent to the new federal courthouse under construction after federal officials -- citing security and aesthetic concerns -- strongly opposed the project...

Cape P&Z questions costs of elaborate road plan (10/14/04)
A plan to extend Fountain Street as a decorative, divided boulevard with a brick-paver roadway and roundabouts at three Cape Girardeau downtown intersections seems extravagant, some planning and zoning commissioners said Wednesday night. The commission said it wasn't ready yet to make a final recommendation to the city council on the street plan after an engineering firm estimated it could cost $1.3 million to build...

Motorists can expect delays due to Highway 3 work (10/13/04)
EAST CAPE GIRARDEAU, Ill. -- Motorists who drive along Illinois Highway 3 from the intersection of Highway 146 at McClure to north of Ware should plan to encounter some delays caused by road construction. Joe Lenzini of the Illinois Department of Transportation's Carbondale office, says the 10-mile project began Oct. 4 and is expected to take until November of 2005 to finish...

Better intersection sparks residents' desire for pavement (10/02/04)
The intersection improvement at Route D and Farmington Road is one of Jackson's biggest street projects this year. But just north of the intersection, the concrete gives way to a cheap hybrid surface, one that is splotched with patches and potholes...

Utility lines along Jackson street moving due to mistake (09/28/04)
A Missouri Department of Transportation official told the Jackson Board of Aldermen Monday night that MoDOT would shoulder the costs of moving the city's water and electric lines on Colorado Street again for the Highway 34/72 project. While the overall project will go on, the mistake will take months to fix, Jackson officials said...

Jackson asks for MoDOT to spread interchange cost (09/23/04)
The city of Jackson has asked the Missouri Department of Transportation to spread the burden of the East Main Street Interstate 55 interchange project among the other local government entities. When MoDOT secured the project for 2006, it did so on the condition that Jackson, in addition to acquiring right of way, come up with half of the $5.6 million to build the project...

Road work discussed to prepare for tax (09/03/04)
A Cape Girardeau city committee wants city staff to consider a new outer road in a list of proposed street projects that would be funded if voters next year extend the half-cent transportation sales tax for another five years. The current tax is set to expire at the end of next year...

Construction work to force road closures (08/31/04)
Construction work will force two road closures in the Cape Girardeau area, Missouri Department of Transportation officials said Monday. The right turn lane at the intersection of northbound Mount Auburn Road and William Street near O'Charley's Restaurant was scheduled to be closed to traffic, starting Monday night. ...

Design flaw requires movement of utilities for Jackson project (08/29/04)
An apparent design flaw in the Highway 34-72 widening project will likely force the city and a gas company to move some of their utilities for a second time along North Colorado Street. Missouri Department of Transportation project manager Eric Krapf wouldn't place blame on anyone for the mistake, but it appears that an error was made in not allowing enough room for underground retaining wall support...

William Street work starts Monday (08/21/04)
Motorists driving on William Street Monday can expect some changes while construction contractors begin work on a project that will add stoplights and left turn lanes on the busy thoroughfare. Work slated to begin Monday night will include temporary lane striping and barriers along the south side of the roadway...

Jackson's Route D ready for motorists (08/20/04)
The construction inspired a day-care teacher to start riding her bike to work. It gave children a reason to walk to the park. And it gave young students a daily construction lesson that Bob the Builder couldn't touch with a backhoe. But despite unforeseen benefits of a closed highway in Jackson, residents here, particularly the residents of Jackson's west side and bus drivers, will hail the re-opening of Route D today...

Cape officials may force issue of Commercial Street repairs (08/17/04)
The Cape Girardeau City Council took the first step toward approving repairs of 1,200 feet of Commercial Street between Walnut and Hickory streets, despite expected opposition from property owners along Commercial Street. City manager Doug Leslie called the street improvement plan an "on and off again project" that began in 1995, when the majority of the property owners along Commercial petitioned the council to improve that section of Commercial Street. ...

Planning and zoning reviews Water Street proposal (08/12/04)
Although no action was taken, the Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission got its first look at the Downtown Redevelopment Corp.'s proposal for Water Street at its monthly meeting Wednesday night. The primary hang-up among certain members of the commission was the transformation of Main Street between Broadway and Merriwether Street to two-way traffic for the first time in almost 50 years...

Two-way Main Street discussed (08/12/04)
For nearly half a century, Main Street traffic has flowed one way from north to south. But the formerly two-way street in downtown Cape Girardeau may be going back to its roots, even if it means moving an ornamental street clock. Prompted by plans to make traffic changes on nearby Water Street, downtown merchants and city staff are discussing the possibility of restoring two-way traffic to Main Street from Broadway to William Street and moving the ornamental street clock presently located in the middle of Main Street at its intersection with Themis Street. ...

MoDOT's road projects shifting into high gear (08/11/04)
With summer winding down, major highway road projects are heating up in the city of Jackson. On Monday and Tuesday, the Missouri Department of Transportation was especially busy in the county seat. On Monday, Penzel Construction officially began the widening of Highway 34/72. ...

Improved Independence Street reopens Tuesday (08/09/04)
Motorists on Independence Street will soon be able to drive between Pacific and Sprigg streets without having to make a detour around road construction. At 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will open the newly widened section of Independence Street from Pacific Street to Sprigg Street. The ceremony will take place at the rear lot of the Cape Girardeau Fire Station No. 1, 1 S. Sprigg St...

Project to ease traffic congestion on Mount Auburn Road (08/06/04)
A $65,000 project aimed at easing traffic congestion on Mount Auburn Road should begin in the next three weeks and be completed this fall, Cape Girardeau city engineer Mark Lester said Thursday. The Missouri Department of Transportation designed the road improvements at the busy Mount Auburn Road-Kingshighway intersection. The city will pay the $65,112 cost of the work with motor fuel tax money...

Making traffic jam (07/31/04)
The following message is a service of the Jackson Emergency Traffic System: The Jackson Traffic Service has issued a Severe Traffic Watch for the north and northwest parts of Jackson. The watch will remain in effect for the entire month of August...

State to study roundabout for Route W, Lexington (07/21/04)
Cape Girardeau city officials want to know if a roundabout would ease traffic tie-ups at the intersection of Lexington Avenue and Route W. City manager Doug Leslie has asked the Missouri Department of Transportation to look at that possibility as well as any other options to improve the intersection...

Cape business, city leaders map out improvements (07/16/04)
It could be the ultimate downtown cleanup -- a plan to turn a rugged ravine of scraggly trees, underbrush and algae-covered water that once served as a Cape Girardeau city dump into a landscaped municipal park. The proposal is part of a 3-year-old downtown improvement plan drawn up in 2001 by Minneapolis landscape architect Michael Schroeder. ...

P&Z board questioning design of traffic circle (07/15/04)
The proposed street design for the extension of Fountain Street north of Morgan Oak Street worries some members of Cape Girardeau's planning and zoning commission. Several commissioners said a proposed roundabout at Fountain and Good Hope streets is too small to handle the traffic. Commissioners, meeting at city hall Wednesday night, also voiced concern about whether paving stones would stand up to the traffic as well as concrete...

Circular roadways backed for downtown (07/09/04)
Cape Girardeau's downtown merchants and residents don't want to cut corners when it comes to plans for a new entryway into the city's downtown. About 20 downtown merchants and residents voiced support Thursday night for an engineer's plan for the extension of Fountain Street from Morgan Oak Street to William Street that would include three roundabouts. The informal meeting was held at the Port Cape Girardeau restaurant...

Jackson prepares to block traffic for Route D repairs (06/26/04)
Soon, Jackson's Independence Street might be known as Route Detour. City officials confirmed Friday that a section of Independence Street, also called Route D, will be closed to through traffic for up to a month while construction workers make improvements at and near the intersection with Farmington Road...

MoDOT's road decongestant (06/11/04)
The Missouri Department of Transportation expects to spend more than $1 million improving William Street between Siemers Drive and Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau, an area of the city home to hundreds of medical offices, retail stores, restaurants and hotels...

More roundabouts may mark city streets (06/10/04)
The proposed extension of new Fountain Street from Morgan Oak Street to William Street could include three roundabouts at major intersections rather than conventional four-way stops. One of three proposed designs by Smith & Co., a Poplar Bluff, Mo., engineering firm hired by the city of Cape Girardeau, envisions roundabouts being built at Fountain Street intersections with Morgan Oak, Good Hope and William...

Southeast begins summer construction along campus shuttle route (06/04/04)
Barricades block a section of Greek Drive near Southeast Missouri State University's science complex. Students and faculty have to take a different route to get to classes this summer on the north end of the campus. But school officials say any summer inconvenience will be more than offset by improvements to the shuttle route, including construction of two new pavilions to shelter students waiting for shuttle buses and changes to a part of Circle Drive near Academic Hall...

MoDOT to pave section of Interstate 55 (06/03/04)
The state of Missouri will repair Interstate 55 pavement in Scott County at a cost of $322,533. The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission on Tuesday awarded the paving repair contract to Bross Construction Co. of Hannibal. The work will occur between Benton and Sikeston on both the northbound and southbound lanes. The work is scheduled to begin in July and should be completed by September, state officials said...

Union Pacific schedules railroad crossing repairs (06/03/04)
Southeast MIssourian WARE, Ill. -- Beginning at 7 a.m. June 14, motorists on Route 146 can expect some travel delays. Thomas Zerrusen, Illinois Department of Transportation engineer, has announced Union Pacific Railroad will repair the crossings in Ware on that day. Traffic will be detoured. Repairs are expected to take three days...

Cape preparing project list for road tax extension (06/02/04)
Cape Girardeau city officials hope to convince voters next year to extend the half-cent transportation sales tax for another five years to finance a new set of road construction projects that is expected to include the extension of Fountain Street as a gateway to the city's downtown...

Cape, Jackson may pay to get Center Junction lights early (05/26/04)
Jackson and Cape Girardeau will save at least a year by providing upfront financing for the Center Junction lighting project. The cities expect to light up the Interstate 55 and U.S. 61 junction at the city limits anywhere from 12 to 18 months ahead of the Missouri Department of Transportation's schedule for 2007...

Part of Snake Hill Road set to be uncoiled (05/25/04)
The time has arrived for a dangerous coil of Snake Hill Road to get straightened out. In early March 2003, the Cape Special Road District began chopping down trees to make way for a safer, straighter path to replace a sharp turn of Cape Rock Drive at the foot of its winding way up Snake Hill. District officials announced Monday that beginning today, that portion of Cape Rock Drive will be closed for two to three weeks to allow road crews to finish the job...

Grading and paving (05/25/04)
A country homestead comes with charms. Open spaces for horseback riding or ATV adventures. Quiet nights, minus the whirring of automobile engines. Uninterrupted hills and valleys. Wildlife. Streams. Gardens. But the dust, the chipped pickup paint and the damaged tires associated with gravel roads leave many county residents begging, even paying, for some asphalt...

Bloomfield Road bridge to reopen Monday (05/22/04)
Cape Girardeau city officials plan to open the new Bloomfield Road bridge to traffic after a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday. The $535,211 project replaced an aging, narrow span across Ramsey Branch, west of Interstate 55. The new span is 36 feet wide with curbs and a sidewalk. The old span was 22 feet wide...

Diversion Channel bridge lane opening (05/21/04)
Frustrated commuters driving Interstate 55 south of Cape Girardeau should see the first signs of relief on the Diversion Channel bridge in over two years. However, the project's completion isn't scheduled until early June. On Thursday, the Missouri Department of Transportation announced that both northbound and southbound I-55 in northern Scott and southern Cape Girar-deau counties should be reset to two lanes by this afternoon. ...

Scott City bridge project seeks funding alternative (05/17/04)
The future of Scott City's Ramsey Creek Bridge project is even more dependent on federal funds through the Missouri Department of Transportation now that a $200,000 grant request with the Delta Regional Authority was declined. The Delta Regional Authority is a joint federal and state agency that financially assists 240 counties within eight states along the Mississippi River Valley...

Bridge over the Diversion Channel nears completion (05/10/04)
Scott City residents, and everyone who travels Interstate 55 south of Cape Girardeau on a consistent basis, have been negotiating the narrow lanes, the concrete median barriers and the orange barrels for more than two years. The project has dragged on like a hot summer day and some have wondered why they haven't seen bigger crews working on this Diversion Channel bridge project that bottlenecks traffic every day...

Last of 18 street projects begins on Independence (05/05/04)
Cape Girardeau city officials officially broke ground on the Independence Street widening project Tuesday afternoon on the lawn of the city's main fire station even as the real construction work was beginning a block away. The ceremony marked the start of work on the last of 18 street projects funded with a half-cent transportation sales tax approved by voters in August 1995. Voters five years later extended the tax to Dec. 31, 2005, to fund additional road projects...

State awards contract for widening project (04/16/04)
The Missouri Department of Transportation has awarded a demolition contract on Phase 2 of the Highway 34-72 widening project in Jackson. The $130,388 contract calls for the removal of 10 residential structures in the second phase, which is approximately a one-mile stretch, beginning about one mile west of Highway 25. ...

I-66 supporters waiting on federal bill (04/13/04)
Cape Girardeau civic leaders and Illinois Department of Transportation officials say a new federal highway bill being worked out now could map out an Interstate 66 route that would carry traffic through Southern Illinois and over the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge at Cape Girardeau. But so far there is no route-specific language in the bill taking shape in Washington...

Extra dirt means extra cost to city (04/06/04)
Tim Goodman cleared up the dirt issue Monday night as four of the seven property owners along the proposed East Main Street extension project attended a meeting geared at creating dialogue between the city and the land owners. Goodman, representing Warren Place L.L.C. ...

City invites comment on East Main Street extension (04/05/04)
Residents who own property along the proposed East Main Street extension are encouraged to attend tonight's Jackson Board of Aldermen meeting to voice their concerns and questions to the board. The city, which has struggled to secure right of way from some property owners, hopes an informal, voluntary public hearing will help clear the air on several issues...

Broadway widening plan gets grumbles (03/19/04)
Some Cape Girardeau business owners are upset over a plan to widen a section of Broadway that would remove on-street parking and possibly close part of Henderson Avenue and turn it into a parking lot. Mike Schmidt, who owns The Playdium bar at 1127 Broadway, said on-street parking is important to his customers and those of the surrounding businesses...

Cape pedestrian bridge project gets contractor (03/18/04)
Construction could begin by June on a pedestrian bridge to span busy Highway 74 just east of Ellis Street and reunite a divided south-side Cape Girar-deau neighborhood. The city opened bids on the project Wednesday, and the city council is scheduled to hold a special meeting at noon today to award a construction contract to the low bidder, Artisan Contracting of Cape Girardeau...

Aldermen taking first steps to widen West Jackson (03/15/04)
Jackson's Board of Aldermen will entertain the first contract bid to relocate utilities tonight, an important step in the widening of West Jackson Boulevard, or Highway 34/72. Last week, the Missouri Department of Transportation issued Jackson a notice to proceed, meaning MoDOT has finalized the condemnation process on the first phase of the widening, from Hope to Main...

Cape's pavement plan (03/08/04)
Cape Girardeau motorists can count on seeing orange barrels and construction crews on several city streets this year, including on the street some residents say qualifies as the worst in the city. The city has a dozen road and bridge projects -- in addition to its ongoing asphalt paving program -- on the drawing board for design work and/or construction this year. ...

Pedestrian bridge signals start of work on hiking trail (03/02/04)
The first signs of Jackson's hiking and biking trail sprung to life Monday morning as construction workers installed a pedestrian bridge over Rocky Branch along Route D. A crane lowered the bridge into place, blocking one lane of traffic for about 20 to 25 minutes...

MoDOT may scrap plans to close entrance to outer road (02/25/04)
A Missouri Department of Transportation proposal to close a South Kingshighway entrance to an outer road that serves about a dozen homes and businesses in Cape Girardeau likely will be scrapped, civil engineer Chris Koehler said Tuesday night. City engineer Mark Lester said city officials will ask MoDOT to keep the entrance open. State highway officials said the neighborhood's wishes would be considered...

MoDOT opposes left turn by school (02/13/04)
The Missouri Department of Transportation has added a new wrinkle to the Highway 34-72 widening project in Jackson. On the suggestion of the Jackson schools, MoDOT plans to extend a median to block left turns from Missouri Street onto Highway 34-72 near the high school...

Silver Springs to be extended (02/09/04)
The concrete pavement of Silver Springs Road extends tantalizingly close to busy South Kingshighway. The road, which serves Cape Girardeau's public high school and vocational school, currently dead ends on vacant ground within about 60 feet of one of the city's busiest streets...

Scott City residents divided over Interstate 55 access (01/20/04)
Scott City residents remain divided over a plan to extend a residential street to an Interstate 55 on-ramp for the purpose of alleviating traffic congestion at the interchange. The city council heard from both sides at a public hearing Monday night at city hall. More than 35 people crowded into the council chambers, including officials with the Missouri Department of Transportation in Sikeston...

MoDOT outlines two options to end left turns at busy corner (01/14/04)
Some of Jackson's city and school officials don't agree on a proposed change that would eliminate left turns from Missouri Street onto Jackson Boulevard and vice versa. The school district cited safety concerns when it requested that the Missouri Department of Transportation eliminate left turns as part of its upcoming Highway 34/72 widening project...

Bridge project could mean rough going for motorists (01/03/04)
Motorists may find it rough going on a temporary gravel road built across soggy ground and designed to detour traffic while a Bloomfield Road bridge is replaced. Construction workers are attacking drainage problems that threaten to undermine the detour road which is expected to carry thousands of motorists daily for the next three months...

Cape to improve several blocks of Independence (12/26/03)
The Cape Girardeau engineering department has good tidings that may eventually bring great joy to motorists who regularly travel on Independence. But during the possible four months of construction, there may be some Scrooges behind the wheel. On Christmas Eve, the city of Cape Girardeau began advertising for bids on a reconstruction project that will improve Independence from Pacific to Sprigg...

One-way street in Jackson proposed to board (12/17/03)
In an effort to create more parking spaces and solve some traffic problems, merchants in uptown Jackson have asked the city to consider making a portion of High Street a one-way street -- at least for six months. On Monday night, the Jackson Board of Aldermen set a public hearing for Jan. 20 to solicit public input on the matter...

MoDOT finishes roundabout work in Perryville (12/13/03)
PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- The U.S. 61 and Main Street intersection was reopened Friday evening. The intersection had been closed so the Missouri Department of Transportation could reduce the inside radius of the roundabout to accommodate the largest trucks. The island also was modified to help farm machinery negotiate the roundabout...

Work on deteriorating Bloomfield Road bridge begins (12/05/03)
Motorists on heavily traveled Bloomfield Road could be driving over a temporary gravel road before the end of the year as workers begin to replace a deteriorating, narrow bridge that's barely wide enough for today's traffic. "It's dangerous, really," said Beatrice Margrabe, who lives just west of the bridge that spans Ramsey Branch. "We've needed a new bridge for a long time."...

Roundabout way of driving doesn't work for truckers (12/03/03)
PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A new concrete roundabout in Perryville is frustrating truckers, who see it as a major highway hazard and a waste of tax dollars. They say it's difficult to navigate their large rigs in Southeast Missouri's newest roundabout -- an oval-shaped interchange at U.S. 61 and Main Street...

Cape, Southeast look to widen Broadway (11/10/03)
Broadway cuts a wide path from Kingshighway to Perry Avenue. But eastward it narrows to a two-lane street jammed with cars and pickup trucks carrying students, staff and visitors to and from the Southeast Missouri State University campus. City officials hope to ease traffic congestion with a wider street, but business owners worry that the construction work itself will be a major road block for customers...

Area firm gets state paving contract (11/05/03)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A contract to resurface 44 miles of roadways in Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Perry and Madison counties was awarded Tuesday to Apex Paving Co. of Cape Girardeau. The Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission gave the contract, worth approximately $1 million, to apply asphalt to some area roads...

Highway widening still waits on a few houses (10/23/03)
Eight houses are gone and seven more are being prepped for the bulldozers along West Jackson Boulevard in Jackson. After the next round of demolition, which will begin late next month or early in December, only four houses may stand in the way of the first phase of Jackson's new, widened, western entrance...

Unwanted diversions (10/16/03)
Phil Penzel, bridge builder, says he is nearly as frustrated with the Diversion Channel bridge at Interstate 55 as the drivers who travel it. Since the fall of 2001, the owner of Jackson-based Penzel Construction has battled water and unexpected obstacles to complete the $10.6 million project that aims to make a new seismically designed, three-lane span for northbound traffic across the Diversion Channel...

Jackson's road of opportunities (10/10/03)
Some time in the year 2006, Jackson will have a brand-new front door. The East Main Street interchange at Interstate 55 will be the new entrance in town. And while the main purpose of the interchange is to improve traffic in this rapidly growing city, it is only the skeleton of what many hope will be the town's new commercial branch...

Warning devices installed at railroad crossing (10/07/03)
The bottom where the railroad tracks cross County Road 204 in Scott County gets so foggy sometimes that Kay Glastetter used to turn off her radio and listen to hear if a train was coming...

I-55 interchange project drives on to meet deadline (09/27/03)
The $5.25 million project that calls for extending East Main Street in Jackson to a new Interstate 55 interchange appears on target, as the city starts to buy key property and the state wraps up its search for environmental and cultural problems. Officials working on the joint project say the much anticipated new entrance into Jackson is still on track to be finished in 2006...

New Cape road plans get aired at P&Z meeting (09/25/03)
Mike Wells
Southeast Missourian
Six members of Cape Girardeau's planning and zoning commission met Wednesday night in the city council chambers to begin constructing ...

Cape to fix revamped intersection on Mount Auburn (09/08/03)
Motorists who travel through the new Mount Auburn-Independence intersection in Cape Girardeau won't have to feel they are on a go-cart track much longer. The city plans to eliminate the sharp jog for southbound traffic by widening Mount Auburn north of the intersection so the transition from four lanes to five lanes is more gradual, said city engineer Mark Lester...

Jackson, MoDOT to give facelift to Route D intersection (09/02/03)
A busy, awkward and dangerous Jackson intersection will ultimately turn into one of the town's biggest and widest junctions. City officials are wrapping up right-of-way negotiations near the Farmington Road and Route D intersection. The city and the Missouri Department of Transportation plan to give the area a facelift, an improvement that residents say is more than welcome...

Revamped Cape intersection opens, but more improvements needed (08/30/03)
As Cape Girardeau's mayor stood ready to activate new stoplights, delivering a speech that ended with how great the change would be at Mount Auburn Road and Independence Street, a couple of lesser-known people watched from afar with opinions of their own...

Cape featured in national magazine because of traffic signals (08/04/03)
The city of Cape Girardeau was featured in the July 2003 issue of American City & County magazine. The article, titled "LED Lights Save Energy In City's Traffic Signals," was prompted by an article that appeared in the Southeast Missourian newspaper...

Roadwork complete ahead of schedule (08/02/03)
Cape Girardeau drivers dreading at least eight more weeks of detours around Independence Street at Mount Auburn Road got a pleasant surprise Friday. The intersection was open to traffic in all directions. Melanie Gertis, assistant city engineer, said contractor Lappe Cement Finishing of Perryville, Mo., picked up the pace because company officials realized how vital that intersection is to traffic flow. The project began July 17...

Bridge work halts traffic, frustrates drivers over river (07/31/03)
Some were cussing, others were sweating and at least one person took the opportunity to become an armchair highway planner as a long line of drivers sat stock-still in their automobiles Wednesday morning. For as much as 30 long minutes, the drivers sat in the muggy heat as captives to an inspection and minor work on what already has become known as the "old Mississippi River bridge."...

Pavement planned for dusty stretch of Old Orchard Road (07/30/03)
The next important piece to Jackson's overall traffic puzzle will be cemented in place as soon as 1,175 feet of Jackson's Old Orchard Road is paved. The stretch of road that runs past Buchheit's store and Perryville Machine and Steel Inc. will eventually link East Jackson Boulevard with the East Main Street extension project. That project, which will connect Main Street with Interstate 55 is in the engineering stage at the city and state level...

Street closing surprises facilities in Cape (07/16/03)
Some retirees, parents of day-care children, bank customers and others may find their travel routines interrupted by construction work that will close a three-block section of Independence Street to through-traffic for the next two weeks or longer. Construction workers are tearing out and rebuilding the Mount Auburn Road intersection in Cape Girardeau, and the traffic change takes effect today. ...

Jackson board chooses boulevard design for E. Main (07/15/03)
Jackson's East Main Street extension project will not have a turn lane, at least not at first. The Jackson Board of Aldermen Monday night directed a Smith & Co. representative to go ahead with a boulevard design for the next phase of the Main Street project, which will eventually link Main Street to Interstate 55...

MoDOT outlines projects for Cape County (07/15/03)
State highway officials plan to blow up and remove Cape Girardeau's old Mississippi River bridge next year, sending tons of steel and concrete crashing into the muddy water -- a $3.88 million spectacle that's expected to draw a crowd. "A lot of times, they will use explosives to dislodge the bridge off the piers and then use big heavy equipment to pull the steel back out of the water," said Barry Horst, project development engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation in Sikeston. ...

From bad to worst (07/09/03)
PATTON, Mo. -- The bridges are 80 years old and much too narrow. The curves are too tight and numerous. The intersections are dangerous and the straight stretches are too few and too far between. But Missouri Department of Transportation officials didn't hold a public meeting Tuesday night at Meadow Heights school cafeteria to find out what is bad about Highway 72 from Fredericktown to Patton...

Road responsibility changes create challenge (07/09/03)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Turning over responsibility for 25 percent of the state highway system to local governments could prove a tough sell for the Missouri Department of Transportation. MoDOT is pursuing the possibility of transferring ownership of 8,050 miles of state highways to cities and counties. But department officials acknowledge that local leaders will have to be convinced the idea is beneficial to all parties in order for the plan to go anywhere...

MoDOT wants to cut down miles to maintain (07/03/03)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri transportation officials will begin pursuing the possibility of transferring ownership of one-fourth of the road miles in the state highway system to cities and counties. With 32,400 miles, Missouri's state highway system is larger than those in any of its neighboring states and among the biggest in the nation. ...

MoDOT schedules public meetings on Highway 72 (07/01/03)
The Missouri Department of Transportation is hosting two open house public meetings for anyone wanting to provide input and learn more about potential improvements to Highway 72 in Bollinger and Madison counties. The first will be 4 to 7 p.m. July 8 at Meadow Heights School Cafeteria near Patton, Mo. The second will be 4 to 7 p.m. July 10 at the Madison County Senior Center in Fredericktown, Mo...

MoDOT sets hearings on altering Highway 72 (06/29/03)
Highway 72 between Patton and Fredericktown is like the famous sculpture Venus de Milo -- plenty of curves and some shoulder problems. But while millions across the globe marvel at the armless and partially nude statue, the twists and narrow body of the Southeast Missouri highway makes some car passengers vomit...

Shawnee reopens to mixed motorist reactions (06/28/03)
With the concrete still clean and white, the curb beaming with bright yellow paint and construction signs laying on the ground, many motorists on Shawnee Boulevard looked confused Friday, just hours after the short stretch of street opened following 11 days of construction...

Shawnee Boulevard intersection likely to reopen Friday (06/26/03)
Jackson's busy intersection of Shawnee Boulevard that has been shut down for construction since last Monday will likely open up again Friday, about a week ahead of schedule. The stretch of Shawnee between East Jackson Boulevard and Old Cape Road has been widened to accommodate an additional turn lane...

MoDOT, Jackson officials meet about Hope Street (06/24/03)
When the light bulb turned on inside Jackson city administrator Jim Roach's head that now, while property owners are rebuilding after a tornado, might be a good time to widen South Hope Street and add a turn lane, the project wasn't even under consideration from the Missouri Department of Transportation...

Mistake on street name divides Cape residents (06/19/03)
Residents on one Cape Girardeau street disagree over the name of their road, resulting in confusing addresses that make it hard to pinpoint locations for everyone from emergency personnel to pizza delivery drivers. City street signs label the road Country Club Drive between Big Bend Road and Main Street. But 10 of 23 property owners who live on that stretch of road list East Cape Rock Drive addresses...

I-66 hearing attracts large crowd to Ullin (06/18/03)
ULLIN, Ill. -- A Cape Girardeau industrial recruitment group will spend $30,000 to lobby Congress to bring a proposed Interstate 66 across Southern Illinois to Cape Girardeau even as the region's residents debate the merits of such a route. About 400 supporters and opponents of an Illinois route showed up to voice their views at an Illinois Department of Transportation meeting on Tuesday at Shawnee Community College at Ullin, Ill...

Span linking Illinois and St. Louis takes step toward reopening (06/17/03)
VENICE, Ill. -- The state of Illinois and several county governments in Illinois' St. Louis suburbs will buy McKinley Bridge from the bondholders who own it, clearing the way for renovations and the bridge's eventual reopening, officials said Monday...

Solution proposed for on-ramp congestion in Scott City (06/17/03)
Especially during the morning hours, traffic turning onto the northbound Interstate 55 on-ramp backs up far down Main Street in Scott City. A new proposal that would have drivers making a 180-degree turn onto the ramp got a tepid response at Monday night's Scott City Council meeting...

Jackson officials consider widening busy Hope Street (06/17/03)
With several property owners on Hope Street rebuilding from the May 6 tornado, Jackson officials have decided now would be a good time to look at putting in a left-turn lane along the busy street...

Illinois seeks public input on I-66 route (06/15/03)
Metropolis, Ill., and Cape Girardeau might as well be on different planets as far as Clyde Wills is concerned. Wills, a newspaper publisher in the Ohio River town of Metropolis, says he hasn't visited Cape Girardeau in years even though the cities are only 45 miles apart...

Shawnee roadwork plans to clear clog (06/07/03)
One of Jackson's busiest intersections will be shut down soon as construction workers begin improvements designed to improve traffic flow. Work on Shawnee Boulevard from Old Cape Road to East Jackson Boulevard will begin June 16 and will be closed until July 3. At that time, the road should be reopened, but the city is allowing Kluesner Concreters of Scott City up to 21 calendar days for the closure of the street...

St. Louis man asks public to pay for highway median barriers (05/27/03)
ST. LOUIS -- A man who lost four relatives in a fatal traffic crash is asking individuals to each finance a foot of highway barriers for wherever they're most needed. Lou Holtmann, a resident of the St. Louis suburb of Oakville, is working to raise $100,000 to fund about a mile of median cable barriers on a state highway. He wants members of the public to contribute one foot, or about $20 worth per person...

Routes for proposed I-66 narrowed to four (05/07/03)
Highway consultants conducting a $570,000 feasibility study haven't drawn a line on a map that would connect Cape Girardeau to a proposed Interstate 66 route, although they haven't ruled out such a route linked to the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge over the Mississippi River...

Jackson officials study East Main extension options (05/01/03)
The Jackson Board of Aldermen is considering whether to break down the last leg of the East Main Street extension project to Interstate 55 into phases and, if so, whether the road should be two lanes or three in the first phase. Smith & Co. Inc. of Poplar Bluff was hired to do the engineering of the project. Representatives from that firm presented the aldermen with some options at Monday night's study session...

County waiting on Nash Road survey (04/29/03)
Those behind a local and state project that would create a better route between industry-rich Nash Road and Interstate 55 are awaiting a state survey that would map out a proposed route and reveal any environmental problems. While funding questions remain, the Missouri Department of Transportation survey -- due in August -- would at least allow supporters to find out which landowners in the southern fringe of Cape Girardeau County they need to approach to buy an estimated 100 acres of right of way. ...

MoDOT to pave road for Jackson church (04/29/03)
The road to the First Assembly of God of Jackson will be paved with four inches of asphalt instead of gravel, MoDOT has decided. The department made the decision on the Dotty Lane extension after a Friday meeting with Jackson city officials. Church members were upset that MoDOT's plans called for the access road to be gravel. They said that the church could incur future road improvement costs because the city does not normally accept gravel streets into its system...

Illinois goes in different direction on I-66 study (04/24/03)
Illinois highway officials say they want an ongoing feasibility study funded by the Missouri and Kentucky highway departments to look at a possible Interstate 66 route through Southern Illinois that would cross the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau on the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge...

Explosive activities will close interstate briefly (04/19/03)
Interstate 55 will be closed to traffic at the Diversion Channel south of Cape Girardeau for up to 15 minutes on Tuesday afternoon so old piers can be demolished, state highway officials said Friday. "We'll be using explosives to demolish the piers and must close the interstate for safety reasons," said Missouri Department of Transportation engineer Bob Wilson...

Paving debate in Jackson concerns church (04/16/03)
A Jackson church is worried that it might get steamrolled by the Missouri Department of Transportation if it decides to make a street extension gravel instead of asphalt. The Jackson First Assembly of God fears that, given Jackson's policy against gravel roads in new construction, the city may force property owners to share the assessment costs of paving the road. ...

Roundabout proposed for new federal courthouse (04/15/03)
Is Cape Girardeau ready for another roundabout? A contractor drawing up preliminary plans for the new federal courthouse thinks so. A roundabout may be built just west of Cape Girardeau City Hall as part of the federal courthouse project, city planner Kent Bratton said Monday...

Jackson officials - Median landscaping not likely (04/15/03)
Many Jackson residents don't want a median, anyway. Now, it appears it won't be much to look at, either. City officials said Monday night that they were leaning toward a low-cost approach to the median between the two east and two west lanes of the Highway 34/72 widening project. Low cost equals boring concrete...

Contract awarded for roundabout, U.S. 61 project (04/08/03)
U.S. 61 will be widened and a roundabout constructed in Perryville as part of a $4.5 million project approved Friday by the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. The commission awarded the contract to Penzel Construction Co. of Jackson. Construction is expected to begin in June and be completed by summer 2004, state highway officials said...

Wider road worries some in E. Cape (04/07/03)
EAST CAPE GIRARDEAU, Ill. -- Construction crews are widening the main highway in this town of 478 people, much to the dismay of some residents and business owners who say the $3 million project isn't needed and will lead to more traffic accidents. "I don't think it will help anybody over here," said Floyd Ralls as he mowed his small, tidy yard last week a few blocks from the highway construction. ...

Bridge on target for completion this year, MoDOT officials say (04/07/03)
Construction crews still have more concrete to pour and steel cables to string, but all the work should be done and the new $100 million Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge completed by late this year, Missouri Department of Transportation officials say. Any spring flooding, however, could delay the project, said Stan Johnson, MoDOT engineer. "Most of the work they are doing from barges on the river," he said...

Bridge on Highway 72 to be closed at least three days this week (03/25/03)
A main commuter artery leading into Jackson and Cape Girardeau will be closed for at least three days this week as workers repair a bridge that was damaged when a large vehicle apparently struck the structure about two weeks ago. Motorists, mail carriers and bus drivers will have to drive at least 10 minutes out of their way around the construction site Wednesday, Thursday and Friday...

Highway 34/72 widening project on the move (03/20/03)
The process of clearing out a path for a wider western highway entrance into Jackson has begun. The Missouri Department of Transportation has successfully negotiated with several property owners along the first phase of the Highway 34/72 widening, which runs from Hope Street to Main Street. The overall project will be done in three stages and will be completed some time after 2005. It will add two more lanes from Hope Street to the point where 34 and 72 split...

Landmark road losing one curve for safety's sake (03/18/03)
It will still be called Snake Hill Road. It'll just have a little less bite. The Cape Special Road District began the first stages of straightening one kink on the curvy road, located just outside the city limits of Cape Girardeau. ...

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