OLIVER: CITY FUNDS FOR I-66 PUT RIVER SPAN IN JEOPARDY

Efforts to get congressional funds for Interstate 66 could thwart state officials' chances of getting a new bridge across the Mississippi River here.

State Highway Commissioner John L. Oliver Jr. warned Thursday that the city "is not big enough to have two spigots running," meaning the city's support for both the bridge and the new interstate.

Cape Girardeau can't have people from here seeking money for an I-66 feasibility study at the same time the state is seeking special funding in the federal highway bill to ensure Illinois comes up with its share of money for the bridge.

The city council "sent the wrong message" Monday night when it approved contributing $5,000 to I-66 Project Inc., a non-profit group based in Cape Girardeau that is pushing a new east-west interstate highway, Oliver said, adding that the city needs to decide if it wants the federal highway bill to include money for the bridge or I-66.

The Cape Girardeau attorney predicted the other members of the highway commission would reconsider whether it wanted to continue making the bridge a priority.

In a two-paragraph letter to Cape Girardeau Mayor Albert M. Spradling III dated Tuesday, Oliver said: "It is unfortunate that the city has chosen to fund a project, to wit, Transamerica Corridor, though however meritorious it might be, which is now directly competing for scarce federal funds which otherwise could be acquired to help fund the Cape Girardeau bridge.

"Apparently, the city council's priorities have changed," he said. "Certainly, their action has materially and adversely affected our consultant's ability to obtain scarce federal resources."

Oliver said he warned Spradling and City Manager J. Ronald Fischer before Monday's meeting that voting funds for I-66 would be a problem, adding that he offered to appear at the council's study session but said he wasn't asked.

Spradling couldn't be reached Thursday evening for reaction to the letter.

Fischer said because the letter "was directed to the mayor and this is a policy decision, I feel any response to Mr. Oliver's letter as a member of the state highway commission should come from the mayor or members of the council."

Oliver said if the council had an extra $5,000 to spend for highway lobbying it could have been spent better by hiring a professional lobbying group to push for the bridge.

Although Missouri officials have committed its share of funding to the project, Illinois officials have been reluctant and want a special allocation of federal money for the project.

U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson has been working with his colleagues in Illinois on having special funds put in the highway bill for the project to satisfy Illinois highway officials.

That language was included in a highway authorization bill the House passed this year, but the Senate didn't take the measure up. Emerson predicted Thursday the highway bill will be an early priority of the next Congress.

Oliver said funds need to be approved next year to keep the project on schedule.

Oliver also suggested the city could have used $5,000 to hire people from Southeast Missouri State and Southern Illinois University to do a joint economic study of the bridge to help generate enthusiasm for the project.

The commissioner said his concerns have nothing to do with the merits of I-66 as a futuristic long-range project.

"I would just rather have the bridge project in the authorization bill before we ask for new study money for I-66," he said, adding:

"We keep being told that we need to focus on the bridge and that anything that diverts attention from our request for the bridge is detrimental to our request for the bridge."

A new bridge over the Mississippi River at Hannibal has faced the same kind of resistance from Illinois officials.

Yet, in an appropriations bill approved this year, there is a little more than $1.2 million in special funds for the bridge at Hannibal, but nothing for Cape.

Asked what he felt the reason was, Oliver replied: "Draw the logical conclusion."