COUNTY BRIDGE PROGRAM REMAINS ON SOLID FOOTING

In an era, when many Missouri bridges are in badly deteriorating condition, Cape Girardeau County's bridge replacement program is in good shape.

That's a tribute to the leadership of the Cape County Commission and in particular Associate Commissioner Leonard F. Sander, who oversees the operations of the county highway department.

Statewide, it's estimated $5.25 billion is needed to repair the nearly 14,000 substandard Missouri bridges. The majority of those bridges are on county or municipal roads.

According to one study, nearly 60 percent of Missouri's bridges are deficient and in need of repair or replacement.

In the face of such statistics, it's heartening to know that Cape Girardeau County is aggressively working to replace its old bridges. The county has been replacing bridges at the rate of four to six a year, which is a major accomplishment when one considers the cost of such projects.

In 1989, five county bridges were replaced and three were renovated with new floors to bring them up to acceptable load standards.

Cape County's road budget exceeds $1 million annually, but most of the local money used for constructing county bridges comes from general revenue, which is supported by a half-cent sales tax.

It's that sales tax revenue which has provided the foundation for a solid bridge replacement program and allowed the county to come up with matching funds to secure federal off-systems road money for replacement of major bridges.

Cape County's commissioners are looking to replace two major county bridges this year at a combined cost of $560,000. Seventy percent of that cost will be paid with federal off-systems road money. The smaller bridge projects are handled by county highway department crews.

In addition to building small bridges, county crews also handle the job of replacing culverts.

The replacement of bridges and culverts is no small task, considering the fact that Cape County's highway department maintains 130 major bridges, several hundred smaller ones, and more than 1,500 culverts.

Cape Girardeau County's bridge replacement program isn't just bridging the gap. Our safe bridges provide an essential foundation to the county's transportation system.