HANNIBAL – Over the last several months, much of the work to build a new Champ Clark Bridge has been in the Mississippi River.  While work will continue to progress to build the piers for the new bridge, one element of construction will soon be more visible on land – the work on the Missouri approach, including the new retaining wall.  “The new bridge is being built just south of the existing bridge and will come into Missouri near the rock bluff behind the Ayerco station,” said Michael Massman, design-build coordinator for the construction company. “To make room for the new approach, crews will remove some of the bluff and secure the remaining portion to ensure it stays intact for decades to come,” he explained.