Motorists and pedestrians in downtown Cape Girardeau are noticing an upgrade underway on the steps leading from North Spanish Street to the mid-19th century-built former Common Pleas Courthouse -- the latter of which is now part of the new City Hall complex due for completion Dec. 1.

Municipal employees and Oak Ridge-based Fronabarger Concreters are working to pour new concrete over the existing steps and to create entirely new landings.

"(The work) is being done for safety because the existing steps, which had been patched from time to time, were falling apart and were not in very good condition," said Anna Kangas, City Hall project manager and director of the city's development services department.

"We've been wanting to upgrade the steps since March or April but we've had to be very aware of the weather because we didn't want to be working on that hill when it was muddy," she added.

Kangas said a new sidewalk is being laid at the very top of the steps to be in compliance with Americans with Disability Act regulations.

"One of the things we discovered on the steps were various riser heights and with new construction, we're just allowing for a 3/8s of an inch difference between the shortest and tallest riser."

The existing six light posts framing the steps will remain but at project completion will have new heads with LED (light emitting diode) fixtures, Kangas said.

"This will match the illumination that people are seeing now along Spanish Street. The old lights had a bit of a yellow tint but the LEDs are a lot whiter in terms of light."

Prominent men from the Cape Girardeau community stand on the steps leading to the 1854-constructed former Common Pleas Courthouse, circa 1900. The photo was taken not long after concrete was newly poured.Southeast Missourian file

44 N. Lorimier St.

The $12.5 million City Hall project remains on schedule, Kangas said Wednesday.

"We're starting to get pretty excited because the new furniture and office partitions have arrived at the warehouse and when the building is ready, we can get right on to installation," she said.