Martin Luther King Bridge, Cantilever bridge between St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois, United States.
The Martin Luther King Bridge is a cantilever bridge spanning the Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois. It features multiple main spans and approach sections built with a riveted steel framework typical of mid-20th-century engineering.
The span opened in 1951 as Veterans Bridge to help reduce traffic from the nearby MacArthur Bridge. It operated with tolls for decades until 1987, when crossing became free for all vehicles.
The bridge was renamed in 1968 to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and his role in the civil rights movement. The name serves as a reminder of this pivotal moment in American history when crossing this span.
The bridge underwent major rehabilitation in 2018, with new decking and structural reinforcements, before reopening in 2020. Because of its age and engineering design, weight restrictions or seasonal closures may occasionally apply.
The span features a distinctive engineering design with continuous multi-span beams that allowed engineers in the 1950s to create longer stretches without additional supports in the river. This approach was less common than traditional pier-and-beam construction for crossings of this size.
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