Bogalusa enterprise and American. (Bogalusa, La.) 1918-19??, 1922-03-09
CAIRO BRIDGE WILL
BE CONNECTING LINK

The Cairo bridges project has had
place in the minds of many for con-
siderable period. The need of cross
ing the Ohio and Mississippi rivers at
their confluence has been voiced by
a strenuous demand from all kinds Of
traffic for more than a generation.
The only crossing near this point is
the single-track Illinois Central
bridge a short distance above Cairo,
which is used by both the Illinois
Central and the Mobile and Ohio, but
there is no crossing for vehicular
traffic between St. Louis on the
north and Memphis on the south, and
none west of Louisville on the Ohio.
The southern point of Illinois pro-
jects further into Dixieland than any
other portion of the North. In fact,
Cairo, situated at the extremity of
egypt" with its mistletoe and mag
nolias and its large colored popula-
ton, has in many respects quite the
air of Southern city. 1t is the nat
ural point for the North and South
highways of the Central West to con-
verge for their crossing into Ken
lucky on their way South. The Egyp-
tan Trail, the Meridian Highway and
the Burlington Way all came together
there and demanded crossing. This
has for a long time been supplied
(more or less fitfully during bad
weather) by ferry which runs from
Cairo to Wickliffe, KY, thence to
Birds Point in Missouri and back to
Cairo, a slow and roundabout way.
Since the reorganization Of the
Burlington Way into the Mississippi
Valley Highway, this organization is
actively interesting itself and in a
direct way in highway improvements
along it's entire route from Ely, Min
nesota, to Mobile, Biloxi and New Or
leans, in furtherance of its meritious
intent to make one neighborhood Of
the North and South"
This intent it finds at present frus-
trated at only one point along its en-
tire stretch, Cairo. This is true also
of the recently organized Great
Southwestern International Highway,
which is routed through the Kentucky
cities along the Ohio, crossing that
river at Cairo and proceeding onward
across the Mississippi to points in
Missouri and Arkansas on its way to
Mexico. But the rivers at Cairo are
broad and swift and deep and there
are no bridges.
The enormous interest in road
building and road improvement, due
to the increased use Of automotive
vehicles, is producing astonishing re-
suits throughout the entire world.
The immense sums already expended
in this country have wonderfully i'm
proved our leading highways and
many less important roads as well.
This road construction has entailed
vast amount of bridge building, but
the proposition of bridging major
border rivers between states has been
largely left to the railroads and other
more or less private enterprise.
Organized highways have been re-
beneficial in affecting a
continuity of road building in ac-
,ordance with definite programs and
it would appear that this effort is
now to be exerted further in promot-
ing this much needed improvement
1t Cairo. To this end, the Mississippi
Valley Highway Association has taken
The initiative by passing a resolution
1t its Tenth Annual Convention at
Meridian, Miss, recently whereby
he members pledged ''their cooper
stion in every way possible to assist
he citizens of Cairo and vicinity in
securing the building of bridge for
he use Of automobiles at as early a
late as possible" The immediate re-
ult of this resolution was the engen-
lering of new life into the "Y-bridges
'roject" at Cairo, which had lain dor
nant during the war.
This project contemplates the con-
truction of bridge across each river
rom Cairo, extending to Birds Pont
n Missouri on one hand and to Wick
fife, Kentucky, on the other, and
across Cairo Point below
he city with the necessary approach
,uilt into the city.
It is intended that the bridges shall
re thoroughly well built, heavy