Route studies

The idea of an east-west interstate highway to connect Southeast Missouri to both coasts has been floating around for years.

One of the big issues is getting across the river. There is a bridge on I-57 that connects Southern Illinois to Sikeston, Mo. Cape Girardeau's new Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge is capable of handling an interstate route, which would boost traffic far above the lackluster figures recently reported by the Missouri Department of Transportation.

This is among the considerations that will be taken into account over the next four years as the highway departments in both Kentucky and Illinois begin $500,000 studies funded by the Federal Highway Administration.

Before a dime is spent, it's pretty safe to predit that bridge access is likely to be the biggest determining factor in choosing a corridor for the proposed I-66.