BRIDGE FILL WORK PROGRESSES; RIVER COFFER DAM EXPECTED TO BE READY IN TWO TO THREE WEEKS

Groundwork is continuing on the Illinois approach to the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge, which will span the Mississippi River between Cape Girardeau and East Cape Girardeau, Ill.

"We're moving a lot of material underneath the alignment of the new bridge," said Doug Helfrich, a resident engineer for the Illinois Department of Transportation. "One of the things we're doing is clearing the area to increase the waterway opening for the new structure."

Dirt and other debris being cleared will be used as fill for the roadway and embankment.

Meanwhile, work is continuing on the Missouri side of the river. Workers are excavating rock to reach the desired elevation for the pier closest to the Missouri shore.

"We'll be going out on the water this week," said Matt Girard, project manager for Flatiron Structure Co., primary contractor for construction of the $50 million cable-stayed four-lane bridge.

"We're gearing up to start construction of a coffer dam for work on the pier in the middle of the river," said Girard.

The coffer dam, which will be about 120 feet by 75 feet, will be filled with sand "so we can work from the top of the dam," said Girard.

The coffer dam should be completed within two to three weeks, said Girard.

Richardson Excavation of Golconda, Ill., has the $2.2 million contract for the first phase of groundwork on the Illinois side. Included in the contract is compaction to strengthen the soil beneath the bridge.

"We also have to move a few electrical lines," said Helfrich. "We're in the process of doing that now."

Phase I of the approach grading work on Route 146 is scheduled for completion in December 1997.

In later phases, Illinois will construct 1.1 miles of four-lane pavement from the east abutment of the bridge to near North Bader Lane near East Cape Girardeau.

The first section of the total project in Missouri, a four-lane highway between Sprigg and Kingshighway, opened in mid February. It is a section of the total project that will provide a new link from Interstate 55 to Illinois.

The second part of the I-55 interchange, which includes completing Highway 74 from Kingshighway to I-55, is scheduled to be completed next spring.

The bridge will be built just south of the existing span.

The main part of the bridge will be in three spans. The center span will be 1,150 feet in length and each of the outside spans will be 468 feet.