I truly enjoy receiving suggestions from travel sites for content on our platform, particularly those related to Missouri or the St. Louis metro area. It’s especially exciting when the focus is on historic landmarks like The Arch or downtown St. Louis. Recently, the travel media platform “Only in Missouri” highlighted St. Louis once again in their latest blog post. Let’s explore the remarkable legend of The Eads Bridge.
Only in Missouri:
This Historic Missouri Bridge Has Stood For 150 Years
Written by Beth Price-Williams
A trip to the top of the Gateway Arch is a rite of passage. We’ve all done it at least once and, when visitors come to St. Louis, this historic landmark is one of the first places that go. Perhaps the most recognizable landmark in Missouri, the Arch boasts sensational views of the city, the Mississippi River, and the oldest bridge across the Mississippi. A historic bridge in St. Louis, Missouri, the Eads Bridge is perhaps as much a symbol of St. Louis as the Arch.
Lauded as a modern engineering marvel, the Eads Bridge, the first steel truss bridge in the world, opened on July 4, 1874. Construction took seven years and cost $10 million.
The first bridge over the Mississippi River in the city, the Eads Bridge was built to connect St. Louis with East St. Louis, Illinois.
In 1867, the St. Louis Bridge and Iron Company contracted self-taught engineer James Eads to build the bridge. It would be the first time Eads built a bridge.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
Before building the Eads Bridge, the engineer was best known for building Ironclad gunboats during the Civil War.
The bridge featured three arches and two decks and used approximately 2,400 tons of steel and another 3,100 tons of wrought iron.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
Another first, the bridge’s piers were anchored 123 feet below the water, the deepest at the time.
Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
Eads Bridge stretches 6,444 feet and measures 46 feet wide. It’s also a St. Louis Landmark.
Today, the Eads Bridge continues to carry traffic over the Mississippi River. An estimated 8,000 vehicles travel across the historic bridge each day.
Have you crossed the Eads Bridge, a historic bridge in St. Louis, Missouri? Did you walk or drive it? Let us know in the comments! After you’ve visited this St. Louis landmark, why not visit another? Head over to the Gateway Arch!
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