Champ Clark Bridge

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Champ Clark Bridge

The Champ Clark Bridge looking east
Carries 2 lanes of US 54
Crosses Mississippi River
Locale Louisiana, Missouri / Atlas Township, Pike County, Illinois
Maintained by Missouri Department of Transportation
Design Truss bridge
Total length 2,286 feet (697 m)
Width 20 feet (6 m)
Longest span 418 feet (127 m)
Opened 1928
Daily traffic 3,900
Coordinates 39°27′24″N 91°02′52″W / 39.45667°N 91.04778°W / 39.45667; -91.04778

The Champ Clark Bridge is a five-span truss bridge over the Mississippi River connecting Louisiana, Missouri with the state of Illinois. It carries U.S. Route 54 northeast to Pittsfield, Illinois, where U.S. 54 terminates.

The bridge is named after James Beauchamp Clark, a former Speaker of the House from Bowling Green, Missouri. Clark served as Speaker from 1911 to 1919.

The bridge is narrow, allowing for two lanes of traffic on a 20 feet (6 m) deck. It was built in 1928. The bridge, originally painted silver, was repainted deep green in 1983, and repaired in 1999. In 2005, the Missouri Department of Transportation again rehabbed and repainted the bridge, replacing the green color of the bridge with gray. The bridge is 2,286.4 feet (697 m) in length. The span over the main channel of the Mississippi River is 418.5 feet (128 m) in length.

The Missouri Department of Transportation announced a tentative closing schedule for repairs to the Champ Clark Bridge in 2012. The repairs were deemed necessary to permanently fix damage inflicted on the structure in December 2011 where a vehicle struck the through-truss section of the bridge. Repairs included removal and replacement of rivets, installation of supports & new steel. The bridge was to be closed for approximately a week.

As of 2012, there are current plans to replace this bridge within the next ten years.

See also

References

  • Overhead view from a Louisiana city park on top of the bluffs.

  • Another view looking east.

  • The overhead plaque.

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