Sikeston City Council approves 2023 street and drainage plan

Sikeston City Council approves 2023 street and drainage plan

The Sikeston City Council approved the 2023 street and drainage improvement plan Monday, one of the most aggressive plans the city has seen.

The plan includes the milling and resurfacing of Stephens (from Gehrig to Campanella), Euclid (from Wakefield to Salcedo), Pine Street (from Ables Road to Virginia Street), Presnell Street (from Missouri Avenue to dead end) and the downtown alley between Front and Center Street (from New Madrid Street to Scott Street).

Also included in the plan is the intersection reconstruction at N. Kingshighway and E. Center Street and New Madrid Avenue and North Street along with seal coat in the Glenn Street area and the Cardinal Street and Thrush Street area.

Concrete reconstruction on Larcel Drive from S. Main Street to Santie Oil Company is also included along with ADA modifications to the Center Street sidewalk from New Madrid Street to Scott Street. Some miscellaneous pavement repair is also included.

The total cost of for the proposed street projects is $1,017,282.36 (construction along with 11% for engineering). There is also a list of alternative projects if additional funding becomes available or a preferred project falls through.

This summer, in addition to the street plan approved by the City Council on Monday, are additional projects that will be done thanks to a CDBG grant.

Those projects are pavement repair and overlay to Hardin Street (Main to Kingshighway), Matthews Avenue (Main to Pine), E. Kathleeen Avenue (Main to Pine and Main to Kingshighway), S. Prairie Avenue (E. Malone to Gladys); milling and overlay on S. Frisco Street (Ruth to Murray), Kendall Street (South West to Handy), W. Gladys Street (South West to Handy), William Street (South West to Frisco), Daniel Street (South West to Frisco), Dover Street (Allen/Davis) and intersection work at E. Kathleen Avenue (Warner/East) and S. Prairie Avenue (E. Kathleen).

The city also received American Rescue Plan Act funds to: make stormwater improvements and additional piping to the Anderson area, stormwater improvements to South West/Murray Lane area and the Goldbriar area and clean out Lateral C south of Sikeston city limits (US 60 to St. John’s main channel) and clean out the ditch and culverts under the railroad track at Greenbriar Ditch.

Sikeston Public Works Director Jay Lancaster said it is the most aggressive street and drainage improvement plan the city has had since he started over in his position almost a decade ago.

“This list alone is probably the most aggressive we’ve had and add the industrial park, outer road and overpass work,” Lancaster said. “It’ progress.”

Along with the city’s projects, work is also underway at the Main and Malone intersection, which is a Missouri Department of Transportation project.

“(MoDOT) is going to be making improvements to the Main and Malone signal to push out the turn lanes and expand the islands,” Lancaster said. “It will be a fully ADA compliant traffic signal with push buttons and sidewalks so people can walk through Main and Malone properly instead of just going for it.”