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 | |
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| Coordinates | 38°40′29″N 90°11′10″W |
| Carries | Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis |
| Crosses | Mississippi River |
| Locale | St. Louis, Missouri, and Venice, Illinois |
| Official name | Merchants Memorial Mississippi Rail Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Steel truss bridge |
| Total length | 4,340 feet (1,320 m) |
| Longest span | 518 feet (158 m) |
| Clearance above | 83 feet (25 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1889 |
| Closed | 1920-1926 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 100 trains per week |
| Location | |
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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]
References
- 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.
- "St. Louis' Merchants Bridge to receive $172-million renovation, privately funded". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
Crossings of the Mississippi River | ||||
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