East Main extension opens Dec. 17

Jackson will open the East Main Street extension to traffic from Oak Hill Road to Interstate 55 on Dec. 17, Mayor Barbara Lohr said today.

The 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony will be followed by an 11 a.m. dedication of the new East Main Street/LaSalle Avenue interchange on I-55. The Missouri Department of Transportation has assured the city that the new interchange will be opened to traffic that morning, "barring some really strange weather," Lohr said.

The interchange and street extension is the culmination of years of planning and a cooperative endeavor between Jackson, Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri State University and Cape Girardeau County government.

"We are very excited," Lohr said. "It will be wonderful."

Lohr said she plans to be in the first car to drive on the newly opened on-ramp at East Main Street to Center Junction, Jackson's other avenue for access to I-55.

East Main Street has been complete and waiting for traffic for several weeks, Lohr noted.

"A lot of people who are out there use that as their evening walk," Lohr said. Others who wish to see the ongoing work may also walk down East Main Street way to take a look, she said, but only authorized vehicles are allowed on the road until the opening.

For updates, check back at www.semissourian.com or read Tuesday's Southeast Missourian.