Despite the 11-month closing of the South Monroe Street Bridge, those who fashioned the agreement allowing for temporary repairs and eventual replacement of the span deserve praise for getting the bridge reopened.

The reopening, which took place on Wednesday, ended a major inconvenience to motorists who travel to and from the city's south side. The reopening also ends concerns about delays for emergency vehicles, especially ambulances transporting critically ill or badly injured people to Butler Memorial Hospital.

But the agreement and bridge reopening doesn't eliminate a task for current and future city officials. That task is to ensure that the city is never again put in a position where a major traffic artery is held hostage by a disagreement or a failure to accept responsibility based on ownership, as occurred in this instance.