Seeing the light

If the light on your front porch light kept going out, you could buy extra light bulbs to have on hand. You also could hire an electrician to figure out what was going wrong.

When the decorative lights on the Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge went out June 30 it was the third time since they were installed in January 2004. Each time, the lights have stayed off for a month or more.

The decorative lighting consists of 1,000-watt lamps that illuminate the bridge's 300-foot towers coupled with 400-watt bulbs that shine on the 128 support cables.

The lights cost more than $500,000, most of it from a federal grant. The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce helped raise the remaining $107,000 through private donations. The chamber also pays the bridge's electric bill. The Missouri Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining the lights.

Mayor Jay Knudtson is unhappy that the bridge's lighting problem has recurred. The city and chamber have suggested purchasing backup parts, and it appears MoDOT agrees. Two transformers will be upgraded, and a spare transformer will be kept on hand in case there are future problems.

In a relatively short time, the blaze of light on the bridge has become a signature of downtown Cape Girardeau. Night or day, the bridge is the city's most dramatic landmark. When the bridge lights go off, one of the city's charms remains hidden.