Chain of Rocks Bridge

38.760555555556 - 90.176388888889122Koordinaten: 38 ° 45 ' 38 "N, 90 ° 10' 35 " W

Former Route 66

Mississippi River

The Chain of Rocks Bridge crosses the Mississippi River between the north of the city of St. Louis and Madison in the same county in Illinois on the east bank. The special feature of the building is in the bend, the bridge having in the middle of the river. The bridge formerly carried on Route 66, but is now only open to pedestrians and cyclists.

The name derives from occurring below the bridge " Chain of Rocks " (Eng.: Rock chain ) from shoals mentioned, which greatly impair the navigability at this point. For this reason, the flow of the Chain of Rocks Canal was built east.

History

In 1894, the first waterworks of St. Louis was built in the Chain of Rocks. The lying in the water catchment areas of the Chain of Rocks Water Treatment Facility, which is still the largest water company in St. Louis, located in the immediate vicinity of the bridge.

In 1929, next to the water plant, the privately funded bridge was opened and led the former Route 66 over the Mississippi River. To pay the cost of construction of a toll for passage of the bridge was initially collected. In the late 1930s, several ring roads, and so more bridges were opened. The toll was set in 1966. In the same year, approximately further to the north -lying New Chain of Rocks Bridge was opened, Interstate 270 crosses over the northern ring road as St. Louis River. In 1970, the Chain of Rocks Bridge was closed.

In 1998, the bridge, the owner had become the city of Madison, hired by Trailnet. This group of bicycle enthusiasts citizens brought to an amount of 4.5 million dollars and so enabled the renovation and preservation of the bridge for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

With the increasing importance of the tourist former Route 66 is the tourist attractiveness increased at the bridge. In 2006, the Chain of Rocks Bridge was recorded under the number 06,001,091 in the National Register of Historic Places.

When visiting the Chain of Rock Bridge caution. The area around the bridge is bekannt.Der for drug dealing and burglaries in cars parking on the side of St. Louis was therefore canceled, the parking area on the Illinois side greatly reduced.