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Standing nearly 90 feet above the Mississippi river the 6444-foot Eads Bridge is a stunning excersize in metals and stone. The bridge was Marked for National Historicity in 1964 and Civil Engineering Historicity Nationally in 1971. A self-taught engineer, James Buchanan Eads' had never done a bridge before and experts said his $10 million steel-truss arch bridge was doomed to failure. But with the exception of financial insolvency it didn't quite and hasn't (yet.) Building innovations include structural steel alloy constructions, sand pumps, and deep water pneumatic caissons - which resulted in workers suffering and dying from the bends :-( After operating for more than a century the bridge stopped carrying rail and road traffic due in part to age and neglect; this was reversed by throwing buckets of money at the problem for several years and since 2003 the bridge once again carries pedestrian and vehicle traffic on the upper deck while commuter rail runs along underneath.
Every time I look at this bridge I see a great structure built a little too late. Thus, one of the reasons for the start of St Louis losing its title as an alpha city and the capital of economics in the Midwest.
The historic Eads Bridge crosses the Mississippi River from Downtown St. Louis to East St. Louis in Illinois. It was completed in 1874 and was designed and built by James Eads. It was the first bridge to cross the Mississippi River if you exclude those little ones up north that cross the Mississippi creak. For me, the Eads Bridge kind of symbolizes the decline of St. Louis' population over the last 100+ years, as the bridge was "too little, too late". The story goes that St. Louis was in a big race against Chicago as a fast growing city. Chicago started leaving St. Louis in the dust because most of the trains that crossed the United States ran through Chicago since they couldn't cross the Mississippi river this far south. The Eads Bridge was built to try and regain some of the commerce traffic, but alas, it was too late. Now days, it's a mixed use bridge for vehicles and the metro trains which run below the upper deck. The Eads Bridge was recently renovated allowing pedestrians to walk or bike across the south side of the bridge where one can take in the amazing views of the Arch and Downtown St. Louis. I especially enjoy riding my bike across the bridge when on my way to explore the "East Side"; however the high crime on the Illinois side deters many from using the bridge. You shouldn't let that stop you from at least walking to the middle of the bridge to take in the views. Back in 2004, someone came up with a cool idea to transform the Eads Bridge into the "Eats Bridge". The city closed the top deck of the bridge down for vehicles and opened it up to pedestrians only on the weekends. It could have been a great idea, but they screwed it up by only allowing a few select restaurants to serve food through a ridiculous ticket system. I'd like to see them attempt this again, maybe having a Food Truck Friday on the bridge or opening it up to street food vendors. The Eads Bridge gets 5 stars for history and architecture, but -1 for not being better utilized for special events and to show off the views.
Eads Bridge is a National Historic Landmark. It was designed by James B. Eads to cross the Mississippi River in 1874. Eads connects railroads across Illinois & Missouri. It was a pioneering engineering feat, the first steel arch bridge, and it remains the oldest bridge on the Mississippi River read more
Completed in 1874, the Eads Bridge is the oldest surviving bridge across the Mississippi River. To scale the mighty Mississippi, the construction of the Eads Bridge required novel engineering feats. It was the one of the first bridges to employ steel as opposed to wrought iron. It's foundation was 100 feet below water level a big challenge in the late 1800s. The 520 foot center arch was the longest span at the time of construction using a cantilever suspension to build, a method which would later be used in the Brooklyn Bridge. The bridge had to be elevated to accommodate the steamboat captains who wanted to keep residents dependent on their services. They thought that it would not be possible to build such a lofty bridge. The City of St. Louis, however, wanted to capture more railroad traffic which necessitated construction of a bridge. Eads earned multiple patents for his innovations during construction. The bridge was dedicated by President Ulysses S. Grant. Testing of safety was done by locomotives. An elephant even walked across the bridge to guarantee pedestrian safety. That must have been a sight to see. The bridge cost $10 million to build. Unfortunately many of the railroads boycotted using it due to the tolls. It was then sold for 20 cents on the dollar. This led to the collapse of the Bank of Missouri. Many were indicted following the largest bank failure in the U.S. at that time. Today, the Eads Bridge is still considered an engineering pioneering landmark. While being constructed The NY Times called it the World's Eighth Wonder. It is quite a remarkable and beautiful historic bridge that still helps people cross the mighty Mississippi River. read more
3 years ago
This bridge is accessible by the Metrolink (which crosses the river), but the best way to see it is from Gateway Arch National Park. This is a historic bridge from 1874 which represented a major leap in technological innovation and the use of massive amounts of steel. For the local population, it must have seemed like a shaky, unsafe bridge when it first opened. Today the bridge has been restored. The Metrolink crosses the river here which has a pedestrian walkway thanks to investments from Missouri and Illinois. It's one of those things you might take from granted when you visit. But if you're a fan of history, it's worth checking out the Eads Bridge - which was a pioneering innovation in the last 19th century. Today, we use a lot of steel in bridges thanks to Mr. Eads. read more
Standing nearly 90 feet above the Mississippi river the 6444-foot Eads Bridge is a stunning excersize in metals and stone. The bridge was Marked for National Historicity in 1964 and Civil Engineering Historicity Nationally in 1971. A self-taught engineer, James Buchanan Eads' had never done a bridge before and experts said his $10 million steel-truss arch bridge was doomed to failure. But with the exception of financial insolvency it didn't quite and hasn't (yet.) Building innovations include structural steel alloy constructions, sand pumps, and deep water pneumatic caissons - which resulted in workers suffering and dying from the bends :-( After operating for more than a century the bridge stopped carrying rail and road traffic due in part to age and neglect; this was reversed by throwing buckets of money at the problem for several years and since 2003 the bridge once again carries pedestrian and vehicle traffic on the upper deck while commuter rail runs along underneath. read more
9 years ago
Every time I look at this bridge I see a great structure built a little too late. Thus, one of the reasons for the start of St Louis losing its title as an alpha city and the capital of economics in the Midwest. read more
3 years ago
The historic Eads Bridge crosses the Mississippi River from Downtown St. Louis to East St. Louis in Illinois. It was completed in 1874 and was designed and built by James Eads. It was the first bridge to cross the Mississippi River if you exclude those little ones up north that cross the Mississippi creak. For me, the Eads Bridge kind of symbolizes the decline of St. Louis' population over the last 100+ years, as the bridge was "too little, too late". The story goes that St. Louis was in a big race against Chicago as a fast growing city. Chicago started leaving St. Louis in the dust because most of the trains that crossed the United States ran through Chicago since they couldn't cross the Mississippi river this far south. The Eads Bridge was built to try and regain some of the commerce traffic, but alas, it was too late. Now days, it's a mixed use bridge for vehicles and the metro trains which run below the upper deck. The Eads Bridge was recently renovated allowing pedestrians to walk or bike across the south side of the bridge where one can take in the amazing views of the Arch and Downtown St. Louis. I especially enjoy riding my bike across the bridge when on my way to explore the "East Side"; however the high crime on the Illinois side deters many from using the bridge. You shouldn't let that stop you from at least walking to the middle of the bridge to take in the views. Back in 2004, someone came up with a cool idea to transform the Eads Bridge into the "Eats Bridge". The city closed the top deck of the bridge down for vehicles and opened it up to pedestrians only on the weekends. It could have been a great idea, but they screwed it up by only allowing a few select restaurants to serve food through a ridiculous ticket system. I'd like to see them attempt this again, maybe having a Food Truck Friday on the bridge or opening it up to street food vendors. The Eads Bridge gets 5 stars for history and architecture, but -1 for not being better utilized for special events and to show off the views. read more
The Eads Bridge is an awesome tourist attraction that compliments the Arch and Laclede's Landing. You can walk, drive, and take Metro link across the bridge. From the bridge, you have great views of the Arch and Downtown. If you're interested in history, this bridge has a lot of it. It was opened in 1874, making it one of the oldest structures still standing downtown. While this isn't something that takes much time to do, it's a great compliment to a trip to the Arch. read more
