Eads Bridge

USA / Illinois / Sauget /
 NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, bridge, 1874_construction
The Eads Bridge is a through arch bridge spanning the Mississippi River and connecting St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois. It was named for James Benjamin Eads, its designer and builder, and constructed from 1868 to 1874. The bridge's triple-span, tubular metallic arch construction is supported by two shore abutments and two mid-river piers. It is a two-deck bridge:
he top deck was designed to handle street car tracks with room for pedestrian and carriage traffic. The lower level had tracks for steam trains. The street car lines were abandoned in 1935 and removed in 1942 to make room for car and truck traffic.

The last locomotives crossed the Eads Bridge in 1974, according to the Missouri Historical Society. But its rails were brought back to life in 1993 when the MetroLink light-rail system was installed on the Eads Bridge's lower deck. A $25 million renovation of the bridge, which restored its upper traffic deck, was completed in 2003.
The bridge has a total length of 6,442 ft (1,964 m), a width of 46 ft (14 m), its longest span is 520 ft (158 m), and it has a clearance of 88 ft (27 m) below the deck.

Road deck closed and was stripped off in 1991. The MetroLink system started using the lower rail level at the system's opening in 1993. A new upper road level was constructed from 2001 to 2003.

The Eads Bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark on January 25, 1964, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

bridgehunter.com/mo/st-louis-city/eads/
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eads_Bridge
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   38°37'44"N   90°10'43"W

Comments

  • This bridge also has a sidewalk for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
This article was last modified 7 years ago