Chester Bridge a 'safe means for travel'

Chester Bridge declared safe by MoDOT engineer

The Missouri Department of Transportation is reporting that the Chester Bridge is safe, despite an expansion joint that needs a repair. "This expansion joint has been on our radar screen and has been repaired a couple times over the 65-year life of the structure," Mark Shelton, MoDOT district engineer, said in a written statement. "Again, I can't stress enough that the structure is safe, and if it was found not to be safe, we would close the bridge." MoDOT engineers gave the Perry County bridge a three-day inspection starting Monday. The bridge, which carries Highway 51 across the Mississippi River to Chester, Ill., was designed by the same engineering firm used for the Interstate 35W Bridge that collapsed in Minnesota. The Chester Bridge and 11 others in Missouri have similar designs. MoDOT last inspected the bridge in September 2005.

Accident on Interstate 55 leads to extrication

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department extricated a mother and her infant from a car on northbound Interstate 55 Saturday morning in the area of construction work on the East Main Street/LaSalle Avenue interchange project. The fire department responded to a call at 5:47 a.m. that a car had lost control in the area of the construction site and turned onto its side, according to information released by the fire department. The driver, whose name and age were not available, lost control while returning to the regular Interstate lanes from lanes set up to divert traffic around the construction area. The car was on its side when fire department personnel arrived and the mother and infant were taken out through the front windshield. The driver received only minor injuries and the infant was unharmed.

No-burn orders still in effect in Jackson, Cape

The intermittent showers aren't enough to douse no- burn orders from the cities of Cape Girardeau and Jackson, as well as Cape Girardeau County. The restriction means any type of burning is considered illegal. Fire safety officials typically order no-burn days when excessively dry days combine with sustained winds greater than 15 mph or frequent 25 mph winds and atmospheric conditions hamper smoke from rising freely. Cape Girardeau fire chief Rick Ennis said residents "have been very helpful in these situations in the past."

Diesel fuel spill diverts traffic on Highway 25

Traffic was temporarily diverted on Highway 25 in Delta Saturday evening when a storm-water drainage grate punctured an 18-wheeler's fuel tank causing a minor diesel spill, the Delta Police Department reported. The incident occurred about 6:30 p.m. and caused traffic to be diverted for about 15 minutes while police and fire removed the truck from the roadway. Police said a small amount of diesel -- an estimated two to three gallons -- leaked onto the roadside, requiring minor cleanup.

-- From staff reports