BOND PUSHES FUNDING PLAN FOR 3 BRIDGES

EDITOR'S NOTE: In the continuing efforts to obtain funding for a new bridge over the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau, Missouri Sen. Christopher S. (Kit) Bond has been working to find potential funding sources. Here is a letter Bond sent recently to Rodney Slater, administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. The letter supports a funding package that would allocate emergency flood-repair funds for the bridge at Hannibal, thereby freeing other funding for a Missouri River bridge in Kansas City and the proposed bridge in Cape Girardeau:

Dear Administrator Slater:

This is a follow-up to my Dec. 19, 1995, letter ... and the conversations that your staff and mine have been having on Missouri bridge issues. I appreciate the cooperation and efforts being made to find a resolution that will allow the states of Missouri and Illinois to replace the current Hannibal bridge structure, and in addressing the other serious bridge needs in Missouri.

Missouri has 45 bridges that cross the Missouri or Mississippi rivers, and 14 of the bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete based on federal sufficiency ratings. The three-bridge innovative financing package submitted by the Missouri Highway and Transportation Department demonstrates the department's commitment to preserving, enhancing and supporting Missouri's highway transportation system, but they need assistance. The bridges included in the financing proposal are the Mississippi River bridges at Hannibal and Cape Girardeau, and the Chouteau Bridge over the Missouri River in Kansas City. These three bridges are heavily traveled and serve major highway routes, but the current deficiencies and continued deterioration of these structures jeopardize public safety and continued economic growth.

Once again, I want to thank you and your staff for your assistance. This issue is my No. 1 transportation priority. I appreciate your cooperation and look forward to continue to work with you to reach a workable solution.