ONLY DO WHAT'S ABSOLUTELY NEEDED ON OLD BRIDGE

The Missouri Department of Transportation twice solicited bids on paving the Mississippi River bridge at Cape Girardeau and twice rejected the only bids submitted from a lone contractor.

As a result, the bridge won't be paved this summer as planned, and the people who rely on it to get back and forth between Missouri and Illinois won't be inconvenienced by its closing at night while the work is being done. Instead, the department will patch the bad pavement.

The fact that the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission backed down from having the bridge paved at an exorbitant price is a pretty good indication that the resurfacing really isn't a pressing necessity. If the bridge floor can be patched to keep it passable until the new bridge is completed in three years or so, then the department should keep on patching it.

Maintenance other than that necessary for keeping the bridge structurally sound should be kept a minimum.