Merchants Bridge
Coordinates38°40′29″N 90°11′10″W / 38.67472°N 90.18611°W / 38.67472; -90.18611
CarriesFreight and passenger traffic
Union Pacific, BNSF, Amtrak
CrossesMississippi River
LocaleSt. Louis, Missouri, and Venice, Illinois
Official nameMerchants Memorial Mississippi Rail Bridge
OwnerTerminal Railroad Association of St. Louis
Characteristics
DesignSteel truss bridge
Total length2,490 feet (760 m)
Longest span520 feet (160 m)
Clearance above83 feet (25 m)
History
Opened1889
Rebuilt2022
Statistics
Daily traffic70 trains per day
Location

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 crosses the river 3 miles (5 km) north of the Eads Bridge.[1]

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] In September 2022 the Terminal Railroad completed the large reconstruction project, doubling the bridge's capacity from roughly 32 trains per day to 70 trains per day. Prior to the reconstruction, only one train, traveling at 5 miles per hour, could cross the bridge at a time.[3][4] The final cost of the project was $222 million.[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ "St. Louis' Merchants Bridge to receive $172-million renovation, privately funded". St. Louis Public Radio. 13 July 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Merchants Bridge reopens after four-year $222M project". FOX 2. 2022-09-15. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  4. 1 2 Schlinkmann, Mark. "Replacement of 132-year-old St. Louis rail bridge nears completion". STLtoday.com. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
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