The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1918-04-26
Prominent Men Renew the
Question of Improving
County ThorOughfare.
SAY IMPASSABLE ROAD
KEEPS MANYFROM CITY
Will Call Road Commission To
Start Movement For Recon.
structiOn of Road.

The condition of the Rock Leve
road in Cape Girardeau County yes
tsrday evening caused voluntee
committee of prominent men of tn
city to call on The Tribune to ascer
tsin why nothing had been done t,
repair the road and remove the caus,
Of so many complaints, not onl
among the residents of Cape Girar
seau County but also among persons
living in the adjoining county wht
travel on the road frequently to come
TO this city to make purchases.
The matter was taken up by Clyde
Vandivort, John Hunter and Viii
Balm after they had discussed the
condition of the road and had been in
formed that residents Of Scott Coun-
~ had declared they would not come
to the city to trade because of the bad
condition of the Rock Levee road, the
snly thoroughfare which connects
Cape Girardeau County with nearly
every county in Southeast Missouri.
While the road has been in a bad
condition for years, these gentlemen
declared the heavy rains during the
past weeks added to the wear and tear
Of the surface by the heavy traffic.
They decided to take the matter up
with the special road commission of
Cape Girardeau Township to deter
mine finally whether anything at all
can be done to remove from Cape Gil
rardeau County what has been an eye
sore for many years.
This question, they said, has been
discussed privately in committee meet
ings, in public meetings, in the courts,
and everywhere, but apparently the
matter is carried on so far and drop
ped abruptly without reaching any
definite conclusion. The special road
commission of the township appeared
before the County Court several
months ago, to determine whether the
seanty could assist in resulfacing the
Highway, and it was decided at that
time to raise the funds for this recon-
struetion by a bond issue, but nothing
has been said since.
While the Liberty Bend issue and
ether matters Of national and vital
Importance have been before the peo-
pie and principally carried on by
these who could bring the Rock Levee
read question to satisfactory settle
ment, enough interest should be given
to this matter to bring it to salts
hctory an dde6nite settlement, the
three declared.
Mr.. Balm said he had been inform
cd that an official of construction
company engaged in the draining of
land in the southern section of Cape
GirardAsu County asserted he had
never asn road used more frequent
~ by automobiles than the Rock
I.svee road. Hundreds of automobiles
pass over the road eac hday, and tour
lists coming to the city make unani-
nous complaint about the condition
Of th road, especially in Cape Girar-
dsau County.
Mr.. Hunter, who makes frequent
business trips to Scott County by au-
tomobile, and Mr.. Vandivort, who has
3 large stock farm in the same vicin-
ity, said they had heard the Scott
County residents make the assertion
they dreaded to drive to the Cape on
account Of the POOR condition of the
road.
The road becomes worse and more
difficult to travel the nearer one gets
to the Scott County line and in places
close to the dividing line of the two
counties, the road is almost impass-
able during rainy period, these men
said. If the special road commission
has not sufficient funds to repair the
road, they said, then some means
should be found by which the money
can be raised. The longer the matter
is deferred, they said, the more busi-
ness is lost to Cape Girardeau and in
their own interest the residents of the
city, principally the merchants. should
take the matter up and carry it
through.