Bedrock tested under proposed river bridge

ST. LOUIS -- Engineers for the Missouri Department of Transportation say geological conditions at the site of the new Mississippi River Bridge are perfect.

The four-lane bridge will span 1,500 feet and will be held up by two piers on each side of the river.

To design those piers, MoDOT engineers are drilling core samples to assess the quality of the limestone buried deep beneath the riverbed.

Project director Greg Horn says the geological testing so far found almost solid rock all the way down.

Construction is not due to begin until 2010. In the meantime, Missouri and Illinois are designing the bridge and purchasing right of way on both sides of the river.