WASHINGTON   –  Lloyd Smith, Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08), today presented the member of Congress’ testimony to the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission supporting construction of a new Mississippi River bridge.

Attached is a copy of Emerson’s testimony:

 Chairman Anderson and Commissioners, thank you for this opportunity to speak with you today about transportation issues in this area of our great State.  A special thank you to Chairman Anderson, Pete Rahn and Duane Michie for your assistance in making this time available.  My priority today is the need for a new connecting corridor at or near Mississippi County, Missouri, Wickliffe, Kentucky and Cairo, Illinois.  Before sharing information on this issue and introducing Mike Marshall, Mayor of Sikeston, I want to thank you for your continued work on Highway 60 from Sikeston to Willow Springs.  This corridor will soon be a four-lane connector route from I-55, I-57, to I-44 and beyond.  This has already saved lives and improved the area’s economies.  In addition, the tremendous partnership that MoDOT and the Highway 67 Committee have created, will soon mean a four-lane highway from St. Louis to within a few miles of the Arkansas State- line.  On both of these efforts, U.S. Senator Kit Bond and I have worked closely with your staff to make sure that the federal dollars are put in place in a timely manner.  Indeed, we are presently working to gain transportation and Corps of Engineers funding for the 67 Bridge that is to be replaced at the St. Francis River due to the revised operation plan of Lake Wappapello.  Thank you for your diligence in both of these critical transportation efforts.

 My primary purpose today is to ask the Commission to direct MoDOT to become an active participant in the study to find the most economically and environmentally effective corridor to connect Missouri to Western Kentucky.  Thousands of jobs are in the balance in the timber industry that hauls nearly 100 truck loads a day to the Mead Westvaco Papermill at Wickliffe.  In addition, farms, industrial interests and families use this corridor to gain access to I-24 in Kentucky.

 The bridges that are being discussed, cross the Ohio River between Illinois and Kentucky and the Mississippi River between Illinois and Missouri at the confluence of these rivers at Cairo, Illinois.

*(Source: National Bridges Inventory)

 Both bridges have curved approaches which require 25mph speed limits or less.  The Mississippi River Bridge has a 20 foot deck and rises nearly 80 feet above the river at low river stages.  The Ohio River Bridge has a slightly larger deck but again was built in an era when truck weights averaged 15-20,000lbs and today’s are averaging 72-80,000lbs.  The confluence of the two rivers pose significant construction challenges for a new bridge due to the larger river tows at this location and the unique courses the rivers take at the confluence.  Downstream from Cairo, the tows average 36-42 barges with lengths that exceed 3/8's of a mile. 

 The highway commerce from Missouri to Kentucky must cross both the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers at this location.  The I-57 bridge crosses upstream from this location but east-west traffic must still use the Ohio River Bridge to reach I-24 at Paducah, KY.

 The I-66 Corridor Study completed in April 2005 suggested a need for a new transportation artery at this location and suggested several potential corridors.  However, more studies were required and with the limited Kentucky Transportation budget funding would not allow for those to be completed.  With the need for study dollars, I, along with Senators Talent and Bond secured a DRA allocation of $100K as a first installment on a five-year amount of $500K to go to the Kentucky Department of Transportation to review the locations more in depth and to complete the required environmental analysis as a part of this process.

 My request today is that the Commission work with local interests, Federal Officials, and the Missouri Legislature represented here today by Representative Ellen Brandom from Sikeston, Representative Steve Hodges from East Prairie and Senator Jason Crowell, and the Kentucky and Illinois Departments of Transportation as well as, my office to expedite the study, and finalize the best location and funding mechanism for a new bridge.  The process will not be simple but all funding options need to be considered.  The first step is the completion of  the study to determine the best and most economical option.  The next will be to use federal, state, local and potential toll authority to fund the project.  Innovation and a creative approach to both the study and future funding are needed.

 And now for more details on the need for the new structure, I would like to introduce Mike Marshall, the Mayor of Sikeston who has been a champion of this effort for several months.  He will give more details on the need and the impacts to the local, regional, and national economy.