Southeast Missouri / Lead Belt / Mississippi Corridor
The Emerson Bridge is Cape's Mississippi crossing
The Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge is everyday driving infrastructure and local identity at the same time. The bridge opened to traffic on December 13, 2003, and links Cape Girardeau, Missouri, with East Cape Girardeau, Illinois, across the Mississippi River.
The cable-stay structure is 100 feet wide and 4,000 feet long. When the Emerson Bridge opened downstream, the older Cape Girardeau Bridge closed. On local maps, it is the clean Route 74 link between Cape’s riverfront city grid and the Illinois bottomland across the Mississippi.
MoDOT carries current bridge restrictions, inspections, and work zones. On the ground, Route 74 leaves Cape Girardeau’s city grid on a 4,000-foot cable-stay span and lands in the Illinois bottomland.
Where to see it
- Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge
Use MoDOT for official bridge details and current project or restriction information.
References
More from Cape Girardeau County: browse every local note for the county.
The sources above are the official places to confirm each detail.