Last large concrete pour made on Emerson bridge

Business Today

The giant steel-and-concrete bridge taking shape over the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau moved a step closer to completion Oct. 23-24 with 5.8 million pounds of concrete poured for construction of yet another pier for the $100 million span.

Throughout the night, trucks with concrete rolled across the narrow 74-year-old bridge that the new four-lane span will replace.

The latest massive concrete pour began about 4 p.m. Oct. 23 and was completed by noon the next day, state highway officials said.

The latest work involved about 200 truckloads of concrete, said Larry Owens, project manager for Traylor Brothers Inc., the main contractor on the bridge project.

"It's the last really big one," Owens said of the concrete pour.

Owens said the pier near the Illinois shore should be completed by late winter or early spring. Meanwhile, crews continue to install steel cables for the main bridge span. The entire bridge is expected to be completed by next fall.

Owens said there will be some more concrete pours but none involving as much concrete.

When completed the new cable-stay bridge will contain about 250 million pounds of concrete, highway officials said.

The new bridge will be 543 feet longer than the current span. The new bridge will be nearly 100 feet wide compared to 22 feet wide for the existing bridge.