Merchants Bridge

The Merchants Bridge, officially the Merchants Memorial Mississippi Rail Bridge, is a rail bridge crossing the Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri, and Venice, Illinois. The bridge is owned by the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis. It opened in May 1889 and crossed the river 3 miles (5 km) north of the Eads Bridge.[1]

Merchants Bridge
Coordinates38°40′29″N 90°11′10″W
CarriesTerminal Railroad Association of St. Louis
CrossesMississippi River
LocaleSt. Louis, Missouri, and Venice, Illinois
Official nameMerchants Memorial Mississippi Rail Bridge
Characteristics
DesignSteel truss bridge
Total length4,340 feet (1,320 m)
Longest span518 feet (158 m)
Clearance above83 feet (25 m)
History
Opened1889
Closed1920-1926
Statistics
Daily traffic100 trains per week

The bridge was originally built by the St. Louis Merchants Exchange after it lost control of the Eads Bridge it had built to the Terminal Railroad. The Exchange feared a Terminal Railroad monopoly on the bridges but it would eventually lose control of the Merchants Bridge also.

In 2018 work began on an extensive renovation of the bridge projected to cost $172 Million.[2]

See also

References

  1. Primm, James Neal (1981). Lion of the Valley: St. Louis, Missouri, 1764-1980. Boulder, CO: Pruett Publishing Company. p. 311. ISBN 978-1-883982-25-6.
  2. "St. Louis' Merchants Bridge to receive $172-million renovation, privately funded". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
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