Old Clark Bridge, Truss bridge between West Alton and Alton, United States
The Old Clark Bridge was a steel truss bridge that crossed the Mississippi River between West Alton, Missouri and Alton, Illinois. It carried two lanes of traffic as part of U.S. Route 67, connecting the two states at this section of the river.
The bridge was completed in 1928 and served as a main crossing between Missouri and Illinois for several decades. A new bridge opened nearby in 1994, after which the old span was demolished.
For decades, this crossing was the only direct link between Missouri and Illinois at this point along the river. Locals on both banks depended on it for everyday life, from work to family visits.
The bridge no longer stands, so there is nothing to walk across or enter. The site is best seen from the riverbanks near Alton, Illinois or West Alton, Missouri, where the new crossing now stands in its place.
Despite two major repairs in 1959 and 1975, the bridge was ultimately brought down by controlled explosives in 1994. Crowds gathered along the riverbanks to watch the demolition, treating it as a local event worth remembering.
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