A decision before voters on Tuesday could impact future growth for area

Our grandparents traveled gravel roads to St. Louis. It was slow going and many areas were prone to flooding.

The trip took most of the day, if it wasn’t the rainy season. Then, it was even longer.

As the 100-plus miles were upgraded to two-lane pavement, it must have felt like a journey that just flew by.

But by 2005, our world had grown, and the need to make the trip north faster and safer was realized by community leaders and voters.

A ballot measure passed by more than a 2-1 margin in support of funding a cost-share project to four-lane the road between Poplar Bluff and Fredericktown.

Residents of Poplar Bluff agreed to put a one-half cent sales tax on the books until 2035 to pay for a portion of the 50-mile project.

State and federal dollars were expected to help fill out the funding needs.

And for once, a government project cost less than expected, at least for Poplar Bluff residents.

Their costs ended up being about 17% of the entire $180 million project.

State and federal agencies chipped in more than expected and the bill for Poplar Bluff was about half the original predication, ending up at about $30 million.

It is by no means a small contribution for a community of 17,000 people, with its own needs inside its borders.

But those extra miles of pavement have built more than a safer route north.

Growth has followed as well.

Since the highway was completed in 2011, Poplar Bluff has seen over $200 million in new commercial construction and over $64 million dollars in commercial remodeling or additions. The city also has had over $3.5 million dollars in residential construction and over $8 million dollars in residential remodeling and additions.

It has improved its own infrastructure with road projects on Oak Grove and Shelby. It has strengthened its schools.

There certainly are more needs, but there is no denying the face of Poplar Bluff has changed dramatically in the last eight years.

City leaders attribute much of that to taking that first bold step to pay for 50 miles of highway outside the community’s borders.

They are asking again Tuesday for the voters’ faith in a project they believe will help continue our growth.

No one is asking for an extension of the current sales tax. They are not asking for an increase.

They are asking voters to extend the scope of the project to include improvements to Highway 67 south, between Poplar Bluff and the Arkansas border.

They hope Poplar Bluff voters can hold on just a little longer to complete another 12 miles of four-lane, again with the help of state and federal partners.

It is because of the growth seen in the last eight years, and the added investment by outside agencies in that original project, that they can ask this without an extension or an increase.

The first 50 miles of road will be fully paid for in March, just over 15 years ahead of schedule.

Sales tax collections have grown by nearly 24% in a decade. It’s not only from more businesses, but also more visitors. The latest retail study by the chamber of commerce shows 69 percent of sales tax is collected from people outside our zip code.

If the scope of the project is expanded to include Highway 67 south — and only Highway 67 south — the tax would end by its original date, 2035, or sooner.

Poplar Bluff residents have another big decision to make on Tuesday.

Will we fund the final 12 miles?

We hope everyone gets out to voice their opinion.

-- Daily American Republic