Bill Emerson Bridge Back Open

(Cape Girardeau) The Missouri Department of Transportation reopened the Bill Emerson Bridge over the Mississippi River Saturday.

It had been closed for 10 hours after a barge slammed into a support Friday at about 9:20 P-M.

Engineers needed to check the bridge to make sure its integrity wasn’t compromised.

The inspection was completed at 7:13 A-M Saturday and vehicles were allowed to cross into southern Illinois about 30 minutes later.

Over the last two or three years, barges have hit bridges over that river at Chester, Illinois and Caruthersville.