By AP/KWMU
Edwardsville, Ill – Repair work could begin this fall on the McKinley Bridge, one of a few bridges that links Illinois with the St. Louis area.
The bridge has been closed since 2001, when the village of Venice ran out of money to maintain it.
Now, a complex deal to pay for repairs promises to have the bridge reopened by 2006.
The arrangement was worked out among Venice, the city of St. Louis, Madison and St. Clair counties and the highway departments of Illinois and Missouri.
It calls for the various groups to split the cost of fixing and maintaining the bridge.
Madison County Board Chairman Alan Dunstan says he thinks the deal will be good for transportation and also good for the economy of southwestern Illinois.