NEW BRIDGE SHOULD BE WORTH THE WAIT

They don't build bridges like they used to. And that's probably good.

Cape Girardeau's narrow Mississippi Bridge long ago outlived its usefulness. But building a new one will take more than four years and a whopping $90 million. That's a far cry from the 17 months and $1.6 million it took to build the original Cape bridge in the 1920s.

The new bridge is bigger. It is about five times wider than the old bridge, and the spans are much longer. And today's bridge must be built to withstand an earthquake.

But perhaps the biggest difference in cost is simply all the government regulations that must be followed.

The regulations are mandated by the fact that 80 percent of the money comes from the federal government. Money always comes with plenty of government strings. Always.

The cost of red tape inflates the cost of every road that is paved, every bridge that is built, every program it touches. Red tape may be one of the most expensive factors on this planet, which is odd considering it is so plentiful.

It is said good things come to those who wait. Such is the case with Cape Girardeau's new bridge.

Of course, Baby Boomers have little tolerance for waiting. We want it now. It's hard to understand why construction takes so long.

But once this state-of-the-art bridge opens in 2001, everyone will likely agree that the project was well worth the wait.