CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) – Cape Girardeau Public Works crews are renovating a section of the Cape La Croix Trail near Lexington Avenue, addressing a buildup of dirt and debris caused by repeated heavy rain.
The six-mile trail is a frequently-used recreational path in Cape Girardeau.
The trail section near Lexington Avenue sits in a low-lying corridor that becomes impassable after heavy rain.
“This area over here often tends to flood. So it disrupts trying to run, especially if you’re trying to run with extra wheels,” trail user Katie McGinty said.
Parks Division Manager Kaed Horrell said the problems didn’t happen overnight.
“We’ve had some issues with buildup over the last several years of mud and stuff building up. So our guys are getting in there trying to get that cleaned up to make it a little bit easier to maintain,” he continued.
Horrell said the work goes beyond cleanup. Crews are reshaping the land so water drains away from the trail rather than onto it.
“They’re cleaning a lot of that mud and dirt out of there, sloping it back to where it drains properly. And then we’re using a lot of that dirt to help fill in low spots along the trail and other locations,” Horrell said.
On the south end of the trail, repaving work near the Shawnee Park Sports Complex and Bloomfield Road has been underway since March.
Horrell said that project is expected to be complete by mid-August.
“There’s still a little bit of work that they’re doing, probably about another week’s worth of work once it really dries out to where they can get in and finish that up,” Horrell said.
Horrell said community feedback drives the city’s trail maintenance efforts.
“I know it’s a heavily used trail. And we get a lot of people who keep us informed when they see issues, and we appreciate that,” Horrell said.
Horrell expects the Lexington Avenue section of the trail to reopen within the next few days.
For more information about the Cape La Croix Trail or any other trail in Cape Girardeau, visit the City of Cape Girardeau website.
Copyright 2026 KFVS. All rights reserved.