Last bridge contract let; project is on target

Sometimes it seems as though watching a bridge being built is like watching a big pot of water come to a boil.

For the hundreds of motorists who drive back and forth across the old Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau, progress on the new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge can seem exceedingly slow. Less frequent travelers, however, would be more likely to take note of the spurts of progress that are being made.

Last week, the Missouri Department of Transportation awarded the last two contracts that will complete the bridge. One was for deck work on the approach from Illinois. The other was for the completion of Highway 74 on the Missouri side.

MoDOT officials continue to optimistically predict the bridge will be finished by late 2003 -- just a little more than a year from now. Given the slow progress of the bridge since the first work began several years ago, that's hard to believe. But highway officials and contractors say everything is on schedule. More than that, they say the final stages of the project will go much more quickly than the preliminary work.

Already, the bridge has become an imposing landmark for this area. Even motorists who are familiar with local roads and the scenery on the horizon are sometimes surprised to see the tall, completed pier on the Missouri side of the river above the distant tree line from several miles away. For the first time, it is easy to see how impressive the new bridge will be visually when it's completed.

As the first cables go up to support the main portion of the bridge deck, the bridge's design elements are starting to be clearer. Large cables will reach from each of the two main piers to the decking, giving the over effect of a spider web -- or, as some have noted, a gigantic harp.

Still to come is the special lighting planned for the finished bridge. At night, the bridge promises to offer a spectacular view for miles.

This past week there were signs of activity on virtually every part of the bridge project.

Crews were on the main pier on the Missouri side getting ready to add more cables and deck. On the second main pier in the middle of the river, crews were adding still more to the height. Crews were working on the structure where Highway 74 will join the new bridge. And water was being pumped from a caisson on near the Illinois side where another pier will come up from the bottom of the river.

While many motorists await the completion of the new bridge, there is another milestone coming: the removal of the old bridge. When both of these projects are finished, communities on both sides of the river will have opportunities for development and expansion, thanks to the ease of getting back and forth across the river.