MISSISSIPPI BRIDGE GETS ANNUAL `ONCE OVER'; ONE-WAY TRAFFIC COULD RESULT IN MOTORIST DELAYS OF UP TO 30 MINUTES, OFFICIALS SAY

~Correction: Bridge was opened for traffic in 1928.

Strapped in two buckets suspended above the flooding Mississippi River, bridge inspectors from the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department are examining the steel superstructure of the 68-year-old Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau this week and next.

The inspection began Monday afternoon on the Illinois side of the bridge and will continue through May 6, according to inspector Bill Stone, a member of the six-man crew from Jefferson City that's doing the work.

Before coming to Cape Girardeau, the crew conducted a similar inspection of the Chester, Ill., bridge over the Mississippi River.

While the Cape Girardeau bridge inspection is under way from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Thursday, Stone said one-way traffic will be in effect, resulting in delays of up to 30 minutes to those crossing the bridge. Motorists are cautioned to watch for flagmen on the bridge that will direct traffic around equipment parked on the bridge.

Stone says inspectors are examining the steel superstructure under the bridge floor to determine if any serious problems have developed during the past two years. They are examining the integrity of the steel beams and members that support the bridge and its floor.

"Two years ago, we inspected the upper superstructure above the bridge floor. This time we're inspecting the steel superstructure members under the bridge floor to check for any problems that may have developed since the last inspection," Stone explains. "Based on what we found during the last inspection, we already know where some damage has occurred. This time, we'll go back to see if there is any additional damage."

Stone says most of the damage is limited to small rust holes in non-critical areas of the bridge superstructure. He says inspectors also look for signs of metal fatigue.

Following the collapse of several bridges in the eastern United States several years ago, the federal government now requires all states to visually inspect their bridges every two years for any signs of failure. In addition to the two-year inspection, Missouri also does "walk-through" inspection of state bridges each year.

As in past inspections, Stone says they're finding a lot of dirt and debris under the bridge floor, along with a lot of rust.

To reach the superstructure under the bridge floor, the bridge inspectors use what they call a "snooper" truck. It's similar to the familiar utility company cherry-picker truck, except the snooper truck has two buckets attached to a series of hydraulic-operated arms. The inspector in the bucket ope~rates the controls to swing out from the side of the bridge and move under the bridge floor for a close-up look.

For a bridge its age, state highway department officials say the Cape Girardeau river bridge is one of the busiest two-lane bridges over a major waterway in the state, outside of the Kansas City and St. Louis areas.

Bridge engineers say the Cape Girardeau bridge is "functionally obsolete" because of its narrow traffic lanes. The bridge was opened to traffic in 1926.

The Cape Girardeau bridge is scheduled to be replaced by a four-lane, suspension-type bridge later this decade.