Bridge's fate rests with county commission

Contractors removed the old steel pony truss bridge from County Road 439 Wednesday, taking the structure in one piece to the Cape Girardeau County highway maintenance shed.

The bridge, which county commissioners have sought to give away, will now sit until a decision is made on which, if any, of six applicants will receive it.

Commissioners announced in July that they would entertain proposals for reusing the bridge. They want it placed in a location where the public can use or at least see the bridge.

Since that announcement, the county has also considered whether it should use the bridge in County Park over the spillway from the lake in the south portion of the park.

"It seems like we just get busy doing something else," said Commissioner Larry Bock. "We just need to discuss it ourselves and decide what we need to do."

J.W. Githens Co. of Poplar Bluff, Mo., is building a new bridge on County Road 439 over Horrell Creek. The $190,000 project is being financed by the Federal Highway Administration.

The old bridge was moved in one piece after the concrete deck was removed, said Scott Bechtold, county highway administrator.

"We kind of crossed our fingers," Bechtold said.

The 49-foot-long, 12-foot-wide bridge was originally installed on County Road 439 in the 1930s or 1940s. It was moved to that location from a state highway, Bechtold has said.

Those seeking the bridge include a campground operator in Bollinger County, the owner of one of Cape Girardeau's oldest homes, and the operator of an Internet site extolling old bridges. Other applicants include a homeowner who wants access to lots across a creek, the owner of Rocky Holler north of Jackson and a woman who wants to install the bridge in a spot where her grandchildren can play on it as she did as a child.

Commissioners haven't decided any criteria for choosing among the applicants.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611 extension 126