Smaller bridge blast set for Monday

Demolition work will continue on the old Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau on Monday with a small blast scheduled to raze a concrete pier in the river near the Illinois shore.

The blast is scheduled for noon. It will be small compared to the recent blasts that took down the metal spans, said Missouri Department of Transportation construction inspector Rick Lamb.

Most of Monday's blast will occur under water.

"Most of the pier was already demolished in an earlier blast," Lamb said.

The blast is expected to be a "loud rumble" and create a splash as it destroys the concrete pier, Lamb said.

As a safety precaution, the nearby Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge will be closed to traffic for about five minutes, Lamb said.