PUBLIC HAS A SAY ON HIGHWAY REROUTING

People interested in the possible rerouting of Highways 34 and 72 from west of Jackson to Interstate 55 as well as Highways 25 and 74 from south of Dutchtown to the new Highway 74 interchange will have the opportunity Tuesday to voice their opinions and concerns.

Five proposals are being submitted for the Highway 34-72 improvement and three for the Highway 25-74 upgrade.

A public meeting will be conducted by the Missouri Department of Transportation at the Cape Girardeau Holiday Inn Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Participants may come and go as they please.

Tuesday's meeting is a must for everyone interested in the projects or with ideas on how the improvements should be carried out. It is the very first step in the public hearing process, and the transportation department wants to hear from as many people as possible to gather public reaction to the proposals. Comments made at the meeting will weigh heavily on which if any of the proposals the transportation department ultimately chooses for the projects.

A company hired by the department to come up with ways to improve Highways 34-72 started with 13 possibilities. The five now being considered were explained to Cape Girardeau County public officials during a meeting a week ago in Jackson.

The proposals for Highway 34-72:

-- Upgrade the existing highway from the Highways 34-72 junction west of Jackson eastward to its interchange with I-55.

-- Build a divided, four-lane bypass from west of Jackson and south of the city that would reconnect with 72-34 just west of Kimbeland Country Club.

-- Build a slightly longer bypass that would reconnect with the existing highway farther east, just west of Williams Creek.

-- Build a southern route from west of Jackson to Highway 25 at a point just south of the city. It would then follow Highway 25 to Route K near Gordonville, and following Route K to I-55-at Cape Girardeau.

-- Build a more southerly route that would connect with Highway 25 father south of Jackson and then connect with Route K, following Route K to I-55 at Cape Girardeau.

Of the five proposals, three would route traffic to the I-55 interchange with Routes 34-72 and down I-55 to the new Highway 74 interchange, while the other two would send traffic to the Route K interchange.

Among the proposals abandoned were two that would create a new highway southeast from Jackson to Route K midway between Cape Girardeau and Gordonville, and one extending southeasterly from there to the new I-55-Route 74 interchange at Cape Girardeau.

Two of the plans for the Route 25-74 improvement call for either building a new highway from just west of the Highway 74-Bloomfield Road intersection or farther east of the intersection, tying in with the Highway 74-I-55 interchange. The third plan calls for upgrading the existing highway to the interstate. The improvement under each proposal would begin at the Highways 25-77 intersection at Blomeyer.

Both of the projects are designed to move a growing amount of traffic through Cape Girardeau County and into Illinois, and both will affect many people.

Now is the time to speak up.