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Plans have been made by the State Road Commission for a survey and study which may lead to construction of a new bridge on U.S. Route 52 at Wayne to replace the present "Brinkley Bridge," it was announced this week by State Road Commissioner Patrick C. Graney.

Mr. Graney said the project also could involve possible relocation of a portion of U.S. Route 52.

The bridge gained national notice recently when it was shown on a network television program by David Brinkley, of the Huntley-Brinkley Report. The telecast pointed out that the bridge was badly in need of repairs.

Within a few days, the bridge was closed to traffic and repair work started and still is in progress. Wayne citizens, delighted that the span was to be improved, have been calling it the "Brinkley Bridge."

Mr. Graney in his statement indicated, however, that the repair work had been planned before the Brinkley telecast. He said the State Road Commission "has recognized for some time that the bridge in question is inadequate for modern traffic requirements, having been built in 1907. The commission has on its advance engineering program made provision for a survey and study for a new bridge to replace the existing one, which could involve also possible relocation of a portion of U.S. Route 52."

Recognizing that the present bridge was in need of repair work, so that it would continue in use until such time as a new bridge can be built, Calvin Perdue, Wayne County road superintendent, some weeks ago requested authorization from the district engineer in Huntington for money with which to accomplish repairs. The authorization request was approved and the bridge was closed to all vehicular traffic May 2, when repair work was started. Mr. Graney said the repair work will be expedited so that the bridge can be reopened to traffic as soon as possible.

U. S. Senator John F. Kennedy may have carried Wayne County in his presidential preference primary contest with U. S. Senator Hubert Humphrey.

Returns from 45 of the county's 49 precincts show Kennedy in the lead in this county by 50 votes. The missing precincts are in districts where Humphrey made his strongest showing, and it is entirely likely that the final result will place Wayne County in his column.

Whatever the final tally, however, Kennedy can already be credited with a moral victory in Wayne County, where he was supposed to lose by a lopsided margin. The tally as it now stands shows how wrong the "experts" were. Kennedy has 4,410 votes and Humphrey's total is 4,360.

Apparently Kennedy, a Catholic, convinced the voters in Wayne County, as he did in the state, that if he were president he would not be subject to any influence from Rome or the Catholic church that would cause him to violate his oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. The Massachusetts senator carried the state by a large majority, causing Humphrey to withdraw from the race for the Democratic nomination for president.