MODOT LOOKS AT BRIDGE-REPAIR ALTERNATIVES

Higher-than-anticipated bids on repairing the deck of the Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau has the Missouri Department of Transportation rethinking the project, much to the delight of a lot of people who were told they wouldn't be able to cross the bridge at night while the work was being done.

MoDOT solicited bids for a complete repaving of the asphalt pavement. The only bid submitted was too high.

The job called for a complete resurfacing that would require large equipment that would tie up both lanes of the span. To accommodate the equipment, the bridge would have to be closed Sundays through Thursday from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. for about three weeks.

The people who must cross the bridge at night didn't like that idea, nor did many merchants and industries in Cape Girardeau. It would mean that motorists either travel to Cairo, Ill., or Chester, Ill., to cross the river, and that would be a huge inconvenience for Illinois residents who live close to the bridge.

MoDOT again is soliciting bids on the complete repaving, but this time it is allowing five weeks for the job. In addition, it is seeking bids on a second option: smaller equipment and spot improvements, with the same five-week timeline.

The department hopes the second option will attract more bidders and that it might be accomplished without having to close the bridge at night. At the same time, district engineer Scott Meyer says the department is still open to any suggestions people might have to solve the transportation problem.

He and other department officials have illustrated they are looking for ways to keep from having to close the bridge, and perhaps this latest option will be the solution.