ST. LOUIS (AP) Plans for a new Mississippi River bridge in St. Louis are taking another step forward with the selection of a firm that’ll design the span.

The Missouri Department of Transportation said it has tapped HNTB Corp. from about a half dozen finalists.

Illinois and Missouri hope to begin construction in 2010, with the work taking four to six years.

The proposed four-lane, $640-million bridge is expected to carry about 40,000 vehicles a day as the fifth span between St. Louis and its Illinois suburbs. By 2030, it’s expected to carry up to 55,000 vehicles a day.

Missouri would pick up about $88 million of the tab and cover any cost overruns. Illinois would contribute $313 million, with the federal government pitching in $239 million.

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