Emerson bridge still on schedule

This winter's unusually frequent snowfalls have some Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge watchers wondering if it can be built by the oft-stated completion date: the end of this year.

District engineer Scott Meyer with the Missouri Department of Transportation assures naysayers that it can and should be.

"The completion date of the contract is in September," he said. "I am not saying that's when it is going to be. Our projections are sometime near the end of this year. It could vary quite a bit depending on how much labor they put out there and the weather."

Contractors traditionally don't schedule much to be done in the winter, Meyer said. However, he has been impressed with contractors' willingness to work through freezing and other inclement weather.

Preliminary work on the $100 million project began in 1996. Recently, workers have been hanging cables.

The Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau, which is being replaced by the new bridge, is 74 years old. Although inspections have shown some deterioration, there have been repairs.

Meyer said the old bridge is sound enough to last until the new one is completed.