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OpinionMay 6, 1994

The flow of the Mississippi River is swift and sure. The flow of progress in designing a bridge to cross that river is slow and often encumbered. For years, this community has recognized the need for construction of a new bridge to replace one that has served the region well but stands dated and deteriorating. ...

The flow of the Mississippi River is swift and sure. The flow of progress in designing a bridge to cross that river is slow and often encumbered. For years, this community has recognized the need for construction of a new bridge to replace one that has served the region well but stands dated and deteriorating. And though it must seem that talk is the only thing generated by this project, there are, in fact, significant steps being taken to advance this bridge from drawing board to reality. The pace is picking up, and Cape Girardeau has every right to be excited about the prospects.

When it comes to large projects, particularly and necessarily those where governments are involved, progress is often measured with each new report filed and each new bit of funding attached. That has been the case with the bridge project here. No arguments have been promoted that the existing bridge, opened in 1928, should have its life extended. For years, highway officials have regarded that span as functionally obsolete, absent the necessary width for modern traffic needs. Though the bridge remains structurally safe, signs of age are beginning to tell, particularly following the stress inflicted by last summer's flooding. But headway comes slowly with something so big in the works.

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Not that there aren't tangible signs that this is a project in motion. Across south Cape Girardeau, where a route will tie the new bridge to a junction at Interstate 55, a strip of demolition can be seen. Fifty-four buildings have been torn down, with 39 more to go. Less visible are the actions taken in planning for the endeavor, including the development of final design plans, which are 30 percent complete and expected to be finished next March. Bidding for the work should occur in 1995.

And if the need is clear and the work is moving forward, the money is another matter. The total project cost, including the relocated Highway 70 across the southern part of Cape Girardeau, will run as high as $90 million. Missouri has stood committed to the project for years, and Illinois now has the bridge construction written into its five-year transportation improvement program, albeit the entry remains contingent upon federal funding. State officials and congressional representatives have made sure the word on this has been disseminated in Washington, yet nothing can counted on until spending approval is forthcoming ... and that is often a tricky matter in the nation's capital. Despite all the work that's been done, the projection of having a new bridge ready for use here by 2001 will go unmet if the money is not in place.

We don't minimize the need for getting these funding issues resolved; the work can not go forward without their positive outcome. The need for the bridge is unquestioned, its condition worsens and governments -- in Jefferson City, in Springfield and in Washington -- have plenty of information to supply the resources to move the project along. However, no undertaking of this size and importance moves to a conclusion without impediments. The fact there are unanswered questions remaining should discourage no one. Based on recent developments, we see the effort to build a new river bridge in Cape Girardeau as very much a "go" project, and believe the excitement will continue to mount as the time of construction moves closer.

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