TRANSPORTATION: LONG LINES THE NORM AS OLD BRIDGE FIXED

EAST CAPE GIRARDEAU, Ill. -- An accident that stopped traffic on the Mississippi River bridge for two hours Thursday morning didn't cause any injuries but did demand a lot of time.

Traffic was backed up over three miles to the intersection of Illinois highways 146 and 3, said Joe Aden, mayor of East Cape Girardeau.

Illinois State Police said the accident, which involved a tractor-trailer and a passenger car, occurred at 6:42 a.m.

But the sight of a long line of traffic stretching down the bridge and through his town isn't new, Aden said.

"I thought they were just working on the bridge," he said.

Repairs on the bridge have been ongoing for several weeks, said Angela Wilson, spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Transportation. Commuters should anticipate travel delays of 10 to 15 minutes through the rest of the winter when crews patch potholes in the asphalt, she said.

"This time of year, the days for repair work are very dependent on the weather," she said.

Delays for drivers of the 14,000 cars that cross the bridge daily have not caused complaints, Wilson said. Mostly, it's motorists who travel long distances to reach the bridge who call MoDOT to ask about scheduled repair times.

Next week, repair schedules vary. The bridge will be limited to one-lane traffic from noon to 5 p.m. on Monday. On Tuesday and Wednesday repairs will be ongoing from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Thursday, only one lane will be open from 7:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

This schedule should remain intact until Christmas week, when repairs will be given a holiday, Wilson said.

Inspections of the 72-year-old bridge occur every six months, said Scott Meyer, MoDOT district engineer. Presently, crews are placing new metal sheeting over the metal grating that supports the roadway. The sheeting is then covered with asphalt.

The metal sheeting can deteriorate from salt, Meyer said. This allows the asphalt to drop into the river and create a hole in the road.

"You can look down through these holes and see the river," Meyer said. "But they are never large enough holes for a tire to fall through. It's just enough to put a car out of alignment, and we're trying to prevent that."

The metal grating, which was the only roadway for several years before asphalt became the new surface, would never let a car fall through, the engineer said.

MoDOT is keeping repairs to a minimum, considering that the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge next door will open in June 2003.

"We're trying to extend the life of the bridge without spending a lot of money," Meyer said.

Aden believes that the new bridge might cause some traffic accidents even before it opens.

"I've been on there before when drivers were looking to see the new construction," Aden said. "They kind of swerve over the line. I'm surprised there haven't been more accidents."