Cape's Emerson Bridge turns 15: traffic lighter now than old span; major repairs slated for 2019

Cape Girardeau city officials viewed the opening of the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge 15 years ago today as an economic launchpad for the Mississippi River community.

But while the towering span has become a community landmark, it has not paved the way for economic growth like city leaders had envisioned.

Jay Knudtson was Cape Girardeau's mayor when the four-lane, cable-stayed structure opened in 2003.

He was among thousands of people who gathered in the middle of the span on a windy, subfreezing day to dedicate the bridge after the late congressman Bill Emerson, who led the effort to secure funding for the project.

An aerial shot taken May 9, 2003, of construction on the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge from the Missouri side of the Mississippi River. The bridge opened Dec. 13, 2003.Southeast Missourian file

Emerson died in 1996, only a few years after the project received federal funding to launch the bridge construction.

When the $100 million span opened, Knudtson told the Southeast Missourian the span's economic impact would be immediate and unlimited.

The new bridge, which replaced a narrow, deteriorating span that had stood for 75 years, was projected to carry 26,000 vehicles per day by 2015. But that did not happen.

According to the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), the span daily carries between 11,000 and 12,000 vehicles. That's less than the estimated 14,000 vehicles a day that crossed the old, two-lane bridge.

Knudtson never expected to see less traffic on the new bridge. "Admittedly, I thought there would be a more immediate impact," he said this week.

The former mayor said he had believed the opening of the bridge would have led to development of an east-west interstate. Without the spacious span, no such highway would ever connect to Cape Girardeau, he said.

Knudtson said federal funding for the so-called I-66 never materialized, the economy slowed and Illinois' state government was "broke financially."

Still, Knudtson sees the massive structure as a "tangible investment" that could pay big dividends if the proposed highway becomes a reality.

He and others ultimately would like to see a route connecting to Interstate 24 and provide faster travel between Cape Girardeau and Paducah, Kentucky.

Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce president John Mehner said it is hard to calculate the bridge's economic impact.

The bridge resulted in some new businesses opening on Highway 74, the route that leads to the bridge on the Missouri side. In addition, the state of Illinois widened Route 146 that connects to the east end of the span and runs through East Cape Girardeau, Illinois, to Route 3.

Mehner said the declining population in Southern Illinois has lowered traffic volume on the bridge.

In 2000, the population of Alexander County stood at 9,500. The latest estimate, from 2017, shows a population of 6,300, Mehner said.

In Pulaski County, the population was estimated at 5,500 last year, a decrease of 1,800 people, he said. "They are bleeding people over there," he said.

Mehner and others said the new bridge is much safer than the old bridge whose narrow roadway led to numerous crashes. "Our old bridge was a nightmare for truckers and certainly motorists," he said.

Cape Girardeau city manager Scott Meyer was MoDOT's district engineer in Southeast Missouri when the new bridge was built.

When the bridge opened in 2003, Meyer called it a "once in a lifetime" project.

Looking back this week, Meyer said he was proud of the engineering and construction work on the project.

When the bridge opened, it was one of only 33 bridges of its kind in the United States, Meyer told the Southeast Missourian at the time.

It's designed to withstand a major earthquake.

And while the bridge carries less traffic than envisioned, Meyer said "certainly the potential remains."

The bridge itself is in good shape, according to state highway officials.

But major repairs to the metal joint connecting Highway 74 to the bridge on the Missouri side are slated for 2019, and could take eight months to complete, MoDOT project manager Timothy Pickett said.

Traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction to allow for the repair work, he said.

Knudtson and other community leaders said the bridge has become a symbol of the city. It serves as a backdrop to Cape Girardeau's downtown, countless wedding and graduation photos and images marketing the city.

"It is a brand now," Knudtson said. "It is our version of the Arch in St. Louis in many ways," he said.

The bridge opened in 2003 after more than 15 years of planning and seven years of construction.

Knudtson said without the efforts of Emerson, the late congressman, the project never would have happened.

Frank Nickell, who heads up the Kellerman Foundation for Historic Preservation in Cape Girardeau, said the bridge, which is brightly lit at night, visibly proclaims the river city as a "center of activity and prominence."

Nickell, who walked across the bridge at the dedication ceremony, said the span emphasizes Cape Girardeau's role as the "cultural center of the region."

People in Illinois view Cape Girardeau as "the bridge city," he said. "You can see that bridge from miles around."

mbliss@semissourian.com

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