BRIDGE WORK WILL INTERRUPT INDEPENDENCE STREET TRAFFIC

Cape Girardeau's flood-control project is generating good news and bad news for motorists.

The new Themis Street bridge over Walker Creek will be opened to traffic this morning. But the Independence Street span over the same creek will be closed to eastbound traffic beginning Monday morning, city officials said.

Themis Street at Kingshighway has been closed to traffic since March 25.

The $210,000 span replaces a narrower bridge. "The old bridge was about 24 feet wide. The new bridge will have a 40-foot roadway plus 5-foot shoulders," said Ken Eftink, development services coordinator for the city.

Eftink said the contractor, Shappert Engineering of Rockford, Ill., will close the Independence Street bridge at Kingshighway to eastbound traffic beginning at about 7 a.m. Monday. The bridge work is scheduled to be completed by early November. The span, however, will remain open to westbound motorists throughout the duration of the project.

The $185,000 job involves adding culverts to improve storm-water drainage. The contractor plans to work on half of the bridge and then the other.

Motorists will be encouraged to use William Street as an alternate route. But there are other routes available as well, including Broadway.

"Basically, when you are on Kingshighway, you have more alternate routes to head east," said Eftink.

Westbound traffic has fewer choices east of Kingshighway. As a result, the decision was made to keep the span open to westbound motorists.

Lt. Tracy Lemonds of the Cape Girardeau Police Department said most of the traffic flow at the intersection is westbound.

The closing could pose some initial difficulties for eastbound motorists. "I imagine when it is first closed there probably will be some congestion and some confusion," said Lemonds.