CITY P&Z JOINS IN 34-72 GRIPES; UPGRADE WON'T HELP CAPE, PANEL SAYS

Widening Highway 34-72 through Jackson won't solve traffic congestion on Route K, Cape Girardeau zoning commissioners told state highway officials Wednesday.

In fact, they argue, it might even add cars to the already crowded roadway.

The Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission met Wednesday night with Missouri Department of Transportation officials and representatives from QST Infrastructure, the state's consultants on the Highway 34-72 corridor study.

MoDOT has been looking for ways to move traffic more quickly and efficiently between Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

The plan now being backed by the state would widen Highway 34-72 -- West Jackson Boulevard -- from the 34-72 junction eastward to the existing five-lane stretch of U.S. 61-Highway 34. Widening the road would require eliminating an estimated 26 homes and businesses in Jackson.

The Jackson Board of Aldermen has already passed a measure saying they oppose the plan. And Cape Girardeau's zoning commissioners were unenthusiastic about the state proposal.

R.J. McKinney, chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission, said MoDOT isn't listening to what the community wants as it plans road improvements.

"At this point, our opinions and the opinions of the community have been ignored by people that don't live here and don't see these problems on a day-to-day basis," McKinney said.

Zoning commissioners questioned why the state dropped the bypass option, particularly a route referred to as Segment T, which would have carried traffic from Highway 34 south of Route K to the Highway 74-Interstate 55 junction.

That option would have relieved congestion along Route K, particularly at the I-55 interchange, commissioners said.

But Scott Meyer, MoDOT's district engineer for Southeast Missouri, said the bypass option isn't justified by traffic volumes.

Of the 10,000 vehicles that move through the I-55-Route K junction daily, Meyer said, 2,500 are headed for the interstate, 2,500 are headed for the business developments along Route K and Siemers, 2,500 are headed home and 2,500 are heading for Kingshighway.

The bypass would cost an estimated $8 million to $10 million and would only serve 5,000 cars, he said, and the interchange would still have to be upgraded.

Upgrading the Route K interchange with I-55 would cost about the same, Meyer said, and would accomplish the same end.

McKinney said he thinks the state's plan could bring more traffic onto Route K.

"It appears to me that you are more interested in getting traffic off of the interstate and into the city and creating a bottleneck in the city," he said.

Most of the city's future growth will occur west of Siemers along Route K, McKinney said.

Widening Highway 34-72 is "the most efficient way" to move traffic between Jackson and Cape, he said.

Segment T would open up a new area for development, Meyer said, but not enough to justify the extra expense.

"There's undoubtedly going to be some development down there," he said. "But there's not going to be another mall. There's not going to be another Doctors' Park. There's not going to be another Wal-Mart."

"Not without Segment T," replied Harry Rediger, a member of the commission.

Meyer said the federal government would consider Segment T a redundant improvement because it would carry traffic to the same areas as Interstate 55 and new Highway 74.

The federal government "won't spend a dime" on Segment T as a state project, he said, although the city might be able to get funding for it as a local project.

The Highway 34-72 corridor study was never meant to solve all of the county's transportation needs, Meyer said, and several variables will determine future highway development.

The state is now studying improvements for Highway 34 to Van Buren, and there is a possibility that improving Highway 34 will dump more traffic onto Highway 25 and onto Route K, he said.

In addition, he said, by 2020, the design year for the Highway 34-72 project, traffic on Interstate 55 might be heavy enough to warrant widening the interstate to six lanes in some areas of Cape Girardeau County. That might also impact traffic flow, he said.

Last month, MoDOT presented to local officials a list of 13 priority projects.

None of projects supported by city officials in Jackson and Cape and the Cape Girardeau County Commission -- improving the Center Junction interchange at I-55 and U.S. 61, extending East Main in Jackson to the interstate or the Highway 34 bypass -- made the list.

Meyer said the state has "a lot more interaction to go" with local officials before the Highway 34-72 plan is finished.

Concerns by residents and local officials will be taken into account as MoDOT applies for federal funding for the project, he said.

"But it's not a vote. It's what the best improvement and what the best use of federal money is," he said. "We're taking into account what they're saying and trying to work out their problems."

The state is continuing to work with Jackson officials on their concerns, he said, and will keep meeting with Cape Girardeau officials to try to reach a consensus.