Chain of Rocks Bridge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chain of Rocks Bridge

Carries	Pedestrians and bicycles
Crosses	Mississippi River
Locale	St. Louis, Missouri
Maintained by	Trailnet
Design	Cantilever through-truss
Total length	5,353 feet (1,632 m)
Width	24 feet (7 m)
Opening date	1929
Coordinates	38°45′38″N, 90°10′35″W

The Chain of Rocks Bridge spans the Mississippi River on the north edge of St. Louis, Missouri. The eastern end of the bridge is on Chouteau Island, (part of Madison, Illinois), while the western end is on the Missouri shoreline.

The Bridge was the route used by Route 66 to cross over the Mississippi. Its most notable feature is a 22-degree bend occurring at the middle of the crossing, necessary for navigation on the river. Originally a motor route, it now carries walking and biking trails over the river. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.[1]

The bridge's name comes from a rock-ledged reach of river literally described as a chain of rocks, stretching for seven miles (11 km) immediately to the north of the city of St. Louis. The Mississippi's water, narrowed by these rock ledges, foamed through this reach at speeds of 12 feet (3.7 m) a second, roaring down a decline of 11 feet (3.4 m) in seven river miles.

The rapids seen just to the south of the bridge are actually water spilling over the 2,925-foot (892 m) low-water River Dam 27, the first permanent rock-fill dam across a major river in the United States. This dam was built in 1960 to insure adequate depths over the lower sill of the old Alton Locks that was 12.5 river miles upstream.

1 History
2 Miscellanea
3 References
4 External links
5 Gallery
6 See also

[edit] History

The bridge was privately built as a toll bridge in 1929 at a cost of US $3.0 million and later turned over to the city of Madison, Illinois, the current owner of the bridge. In the late 1930s, Bypass US 66 was designated over this bridge and around the northern and western parts of St. Louis to avoid the downtown area (City US 66 continued to cross the Mississippi River over the MacArthur Bridge). Eventually, the toll was removed from the bridge due to a law prohibiting the collecting of tolls on US Highways. In 1967, the New Chain of Rocks Bridge was built immediately to the bridge's north in order to carry I-270; the Chain of Rocks Bridge was subsequently closed in 1967.

For nearly three decades the fate of the bridge was uncertain, though demolition seemed its most likely end. The high cost of demolition, however, indefinitely delayed that outcome until a new use was found. During this time, the bridge developed a reputation for crime and violence, including the 1991 murder of sisters Julie & Robin Kerry.

In 1998, the bridge was leased to Trailnet, a local trails group, to operate.[2] Four and a half million dollars have been spent on renovating the bridge for pedestrian and cycling use.[3]

From the Illinois side of the bridge, signs marked "HISTORIC ROUTE 66 SPUR" take travelers to the Illinois side of the bridge and a "HISTORIC ROUTE 66" sign marks the Missouri side of the bridge. The Gateway Arch is visible downriver, and immediately downstream from the bridge, two water intakes for the St. Louis Waterworks are visible (see Gallery). One is vaguely Gothic Revival in style; the other closely echoes Roman ruins from Trier in modern Germany.

[edit] Miscellanea

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

This section does not cite any references or sources. (August 2007)
Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

In 1981, the bridge was used in the shooting of the movie Escape from New York, along with other sites in St. Louis.
In the mid 1990s, a Bigfoot monster truck drove over the "chain of rocks" located just downstream from the Chain of Rocks Bridge.

[edit] References

National Register of Historic Places - Nomination Form. Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.

[edit] External links

[edit] Gallery

Water Intake with one span of the Chain of Rocks Bridge	Water Intake near Chain of Rocks Bridge	View on the bridge	Illinois Entrance to Bridge
Low-water River Dam #27