SECTION OF LEXINGTON WILL BE OPENED TODAY

The first major section of Lexington Avenue from Kingshighway to Perryville Road will open today, the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department said.

New traffic signals at the intersection of Lexington, Kingshighway and Mt. Auburn Road will be operating after about noon today, a spokesman from the department said.

With completion of the arterial route to Perryville Road, the city is poised to bid the next segment, which will extend east to connect with existing Lexington, on to Melody Lane.

The $3 million project is planned to eventually connect Highway 177 on the city's east side with Mt. Auburn Road. Mt. Auburn, the city's last major arterial street project, now connects Kingshighway with Bloomfield Road to the south. Eventually, Mt. Auburn will connect with a new Mississippi River bridge route through south Cape Girardeau.

The just-completed section of Lexington includes a realigned and signalized intersection at Kingshighway and a five-lane bridge over Cape LaCroix Creek. A groundbreaking ceremony at the intersection is planned for 10 a.m. Oct. 21.

City officials expect the link between Kingshighway and Perryville Road to alleviate some congestion on other north-end streets.

The Lexington project was first proposed more than 20 years ago, and the east-west arterial is expected to spawn development along the route.

The project is a cooperative effort of the city and the Highway and Transportation Department. Funding for the project, which is administered by the department, is from the city's federal-aid-urban funds and from state funds.