BRIDGE LIGHTS WILL NEED WIDESPREAD COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Drawings of the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge across the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau show a graceful structure with elegant, clean lines which, in their own right, will be as pleasant to look at as the four-lan bridge itself will be to drive across.

Members of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's Beautification Committee want to capitalize on the sweeping beauty of the new span by installing aesthetic lighting on the structure. Such lighting, however, is expensive. The total lighting project is estimated at more than half a million dollars.

At the committee's urging, the Cape Girardeau City Council last week authorized a grant application seeking some $432,000 in federal funding for the lighting project. This would be in addition, of course, to the cost of the bridge, right of way and related construction costs, currently estimated at $78 million.

And the federal grant, if approved, wouldn't pay the whole cost of the bridge lighting project. The chamber is committed to raising $100,000 locally for the lights, if the grant or other sources of funding can be obtained.

This is an ambitious and costly project. But it is one that could have longlasting benefits in intangible ways related to beautifying the largest structure in the community. Not only would the lighting project be a major investment for residents, it also would likely be a draw for visitors as well.

With completion of the new bridge set for the year 2000, backers of the lighting project have just three years to secure the funding. It is hoped that the lighting can be added as the bridge's superstructure is erected, thus holding down costs.

This is the kind of project which, if done properly, can foster community pride. Good luck to the chamber's Beautification Committee in its efforts.