ILLINOIS ACTS ON BRIDGE FUNDING

Illinois' funding for a new Mississippi River bridge here is included in its five-year transportation improvement program contingent upon federal funding.

"The total cost of the bridge between the two states is about $71.2 million," Martha Schiebel of the Illinois Department of Transportation in Springfield said Monday.

"Our share of the cost is half, but everything depends on the federal funding, which provides up to 80 percent of the cost. We don't anticipate any problems," she said.

Meanwhile, funding has been set aside for early work on Route 146, which leads from the bridge into Illinois. A total of $526,000 is in the 1995 IDOT budget for grading, acquisition and some utility adjustments along a portion of Route 146.

"We hope the federal funding for the bridge will be resolved soon," said Don Bridgewater, program development engineer for IDOT's Carbondale district. "The only way we can help build the bridge is with the federal government's funding; there's no way we can commit funding from our district funds."

Missouri Highway and Transportation Commissioner John L. Oliver Jr. of Cape Girardeau agreed.

"If the federal government doesn't come through with 80 percent of the cost, there won't be any new bridge," he said in response to Illinois' announcement that funding is included contingent upon federal money.

"However, this does not mean Illinois has committed itself to paying for half the costs of the bridge, and it's important citizens of Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois recognize it's not a commitment to pay for half the costs," Oliver said.

Referring to the 80 percent in federal funding, Oliver said of Illinois' commitment, "This is a commitment, if it is a commitment, to pay half of 20 percent of the bridge, or 10 percent of its costs.

"Missouri has committed to pay half of the real costs of the bridge to provide safe transportation between Missouri and Illinois," Oliver said. "In view of recent floods, Missouri believes it is critical to the safety of the people and the economy of the area to provide a new bridge, and we wish Illinois would make this same commitment."

Oliver said he was pleased Illinois plans to spend money next year on the preliminary approach work. He pointed out Illinois has paid for half of the environmental studies and preliminary studies of the bridge.

Work has been ongoing on the Missouri side where right-of-way has been purchased in Cape Girardeau and demolition of houses is under way, along with Interstate 55 interchange construction. A cross-city highway from the interstate is planned along with the bridge.

Recently, the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission awarded a $2.9 million contract to Robertson Inc. Bridge and Grading Division of Poplar Bluff for construction of two bridges over Cape LaCroix Creek in Cape Girardeau as part of the Highway 74 relocation. Construction will get under way this month and should be completed in mid-1995.

Missouri Highway Chief Engineer Wayne Muri and U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson have met with a House subcommittee to discuss the need for the bridge. Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau, wants Congress to include replacement of the bridge in upcoming federal highway legislation. He told the House Public Works Surface Transportation Subcommittee that the bridge serves thousands in Missouri and Southeast Illinois.

Muri told the subcommittee that inspections show the bridge, opened in 1928, has washed-out areas around a pier that stabilizes it.

Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar last week announced a $1.3 billion road improvement program for fiscal 1995, emphasizing improving existing highways and bridges.

The fiscal 1995 program also features more than $95 million for a winter repair initiative to resurface 600 miles of road throughout the state that suffered extensive damage because of flooding and other severe winter weather.

"These projects -- about 150 of them -- are scheduled for a bid letting this month," said Schiebel. "The improvements should be completed during the 1994 construction season."

The $95 million is in addition to the IDOT's budget for highway maintenance and pothole patching.

The fiscal 1995 program includes a total of $565 million in federal funds, $677 million in state funds and $58 million in local funds.

"The 1995 program is part of the overall five-year improvement package," said Schiebel. "The $4.9 billion five-year program provides for $2.9 billion in federal funds, $1.7 billion in state funds and about $300,000 million in local money."

The five-year program is a big one, with improvements set for 3,900 miles of state highways and 807 bridge rehabilitation projects. Other projects call for widening and resurfacing projects and a number of interstate projects.

The IDOT will spend about $6.8 million to make five Interstate 57 bridges in Pulaski County resistant to earthquakes over the next five years. That includes $3.8 million during the next fiscal year.

Work for the next fiscal year includes bridges over the Illinois Central Railroad about two miles north of U.S. 51; a bridge over Cache River 3.8 miles south of the Union County line and a bridge over Little Creek near the Union County line.

A total of $1.4 million will be used for new shoulders, flood repair land resurfacing in six locations along Routes 3 and 146 near the Cape Girardeau T intersection, in addition to the $526,000 for bridge approach work on Route 146.

Another $120,000 is planned for a replacement of a bridge at Jackson Creek near the north corporate limit of Tamms, for the Tamms Prison Road.

Two big projects for the next fiscal year in Union County include $2.8 million for widening, resurfacing and relocation of 2.1 miles of Illinois Route 146 and $650,000 to replace a bridge at Clear Creek, east of Reynoldsville.