Cape council agrees to preserve part of old bridge

A small section of the old Mississippi River bridge, including its landmark concrete archway, will be preserved, the Cape Girardeau City Council decided Monday night.

After receiving cost estimates from an engineering firm, council members said it would be too costly to save the entire concrete ramp of the old bridge.

Smith & Co., a Poplar Bluff, Mo., engineering firm, estimated it would cost $255,000 to preserve the entire concrete ramp at the end of Morgan Oak Street, renovate it and turn it into a river overlook.

Saving just the first section of the concrete structure, including the emblem-decorated entrance archway, would cost an estimated $97,000.

"We have an opportunity to save a piece of history," Mayor Jay Knudtson said.

Councilman Matt Hopkins said it's a "reasonable compromise."

The rest of the concrete structure will be torn down by the state as part of the demolition of the old bridge.

The decision came on a 5-0 vote. Councilmen Hugh White and Jay Purcell were absent. White earlier in the day resigned from the council. Knudtson announced the resignation Monday night; the city staff is researching the process to go about filling the vacancy.

In a letter to the council, White said his business duties would prevent him from being able to attend council meetings.

Council members said they would miss him. Said Hopkins, "He was a true southern gentleman."

Purcell was absent because he was participating in a candidates' debate. Purcell is running for county commissioner.

As for the bridge, council members said they hope some private funding can be raised to help fund the preservation project. In addition, some of the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau tax dollars might go toward the project, the council said.

The council said it doesn't want to spend general fund tax dollars to pay for it.

The Rev. Scott Moon of Cape Girardeau said keeping the whole concrete bridge structure could end up looking like a bridge to nowhere. "It could be an eyesore," he said.

But he and others said the archway is a nice symbol of the city's heritage. The old bridge opened in 1928 and was closed last December when the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge opened.

Al Stoverink, facilities management director at Southeast Missouri State University, said preserving the archway would complement the school's planned Terrace Park on the grounds of the adjacent River Campus overlooking the Mississippi River.

"That archway really does stand out," he told the council, suggesting it could serve as a gateway to the Terrace Park.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123