Public meetings set in Ill., Mo. about new St. Louis bridge

EAST ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Illinoisans or Missourians curious about a planned Mississippi River bridge in St. Louis are getting their chance to ask questions and get updates.

Transportation departments in both states have scheduled two open house-style meetings about the proposed four-lane, $640-million span.

The first meeting was Monday night an a St. Louis elementary school. A similar forum was planned for 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Clyde C. Jordan Senior Center in East St. Louis.

Illinois and Missouri hope to begin construction in 2010, with work taking four to six years.

Missouri would pick up about $88 million of the tab and cover any cost overruns. Illinois would contribute $313 million, with the federal government pitching in $239 million.