MacArthur Bridge, Railway truss bridge in St. Louis, United States
The MacArthur Bridge is a railway truss bridge that crosses the Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois. The structure now carries only railroad traffic on its lower deck following modifications decades ago.
The bridge opened in 1917 as the Municipal Free Bridge and received its current name in 1942 to honor General Douglas MacArthur. Later modifications transformed it to serve exclusively railroad traffic instead of mixed transportation.
The bridge served as part of Route 66 from 1929 to 1955, representing a critical link in the transportation network between Chicago and Los Angeles.
The bridge is best viewed from the banks of the Mississippi River, which offer several vantage points for observing the steel structure. The site is easily accessible during daylight hours and provides good opportunities to photograph the bridge architecture.
The bridge spans required 3,500 tons of steel plates and 8,500 tons of fabricated steel components during its initial construction phase.
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