Fun at the riverfront

Even though several days have passed since the last blast at the old Mississippi River bridge in Cape Girardeau, the unexpected results are still the topic of considerable discussion. The biggest question: Does this mean the bridge was ready to fall down anyway?

The blast was intended to drop a large span between the two piers closest to the Missouri bank of the river. Instead, as engineers from the Missouri Department of Transportation and the demolition company have explained, the blast set off a domino effect that caused two other spans -- slated for blasts of their own -- to drop partially into the river. In addition, the top of one of the old piers also collapsed.

The answer to the Big Question, according to the experts, is no, the old bridge wasn't about to fall down.

That doesn't mean there weren't plenty of concerns about whether the old bridge would remain safe until the new bridge opened. One of the concerns MoDOT had was the large number of cement trucks that had to cross the old bridge during the continuous pours required for the new bridge's piers. There were questions then about the structural integrity of the old bridge. MoDOT even developed some alternate plans for making sure construction on the new bridge would continue if the old bridge had to be closed.

With frequent inspections, MoDOT decided to keep the old bridge open, even though traffic was limited to one lane at times for safety's sake.

In preparation for demolishing the old bridge, a good deal of structural damage had already been done before the last blast. Concrete decking, which provided support, had been removed. And some of the steel superstructure had been cut in preparation for future demolition.

All in all, the demolition process has been fascinating. Visitors to Riverfront Park have increased substantially this summer due, in part, to completion of the riverside walkways and the continuing work on the new floodwall murals. But many of those visitors have come just to see what's left of the old bridge -- and to speculate about what might have been if ... .

The questions about the old bridge will probably never go away.