Historic Bridges of the U.S. | Alexander County

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Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge
Cable-stayed bridge over the Mississippi River connecting MO 34 and IL 146 at Cape Girardeau
Open to four-lane traffic
Opened to traffic Dec. 13, 2003, replacing the old Cape Girardeau Bridge

Cache Channel Illinois Central Bridge
Abandoned pony plate-girder bridge over the Cache River Diversion Channel next to IL 3
Still standing, but rails removed

Cache Channel Missouri Pacific Bridge
Lost pony plate-girder bridge over the Cache River Diversion Channel on the Missouri Pacific Thebes-Cairo railroad line
Several concrete piers remain

Cairo I-57 Bridge
Steel through arch bridge carrying I-57 over the Mississippi River at Cairo
Open to four lanes of traffic
Built 1978

Cairo Mississippi River Bridge
Continuous through truss bridge over the Mississippi River on US 60/62 between Birds Point, Missouri, and Cairo, Illinois
Open to two-lane traffic with a 40 ton weight limit
Built 1929; tolls removed 1954; rehabilitated 1983 and 2005

Cairo Ohio River Bridge
Continuous through truss over the Ohio River on US 51/60 between Cairo, Illinois and Wickliffe, Kentucky
Open to two-lane traffic
Built 1937; rehabilitated 1979

Cairo Railroad Bridge
Through truss bridge over the Ohio River carrying the Illinois Central (now Canadian National) Railroad in Cairo
Open to railroad traffic
Built 1949-52, replacing the First Cairo Railroad Bridge, but reusing many of the piers

Cape Girardeau Bridge
Lost continuous through truss bridge over the Mississippi River on MO 34/IL 146 at Cape Girardeau
Replaced by Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge and closed to all traffic on December 13, 2003; main spans demolished on September 9, 2004
Opened to traffic Sept. 3, 1928; replaced 2003

Drainage Ditch IL 3 Bridge
Concrete bridge over a drainage Ditch on IL 3 just west of IL 127
Open to traffic
Built 1948

Fayville Road Bridge
Lost bridge over Orchard Creek on Fayville Road just north of the intersection with Rock Spring Hollow Road in Thebes
No longer standing, but north abutment remains underneath the replacement bridge

First Cairo Railroad Bridge
Lost through and deck truss bridge over the Ohio River carrying the Illinois Central Railroad in Cairo
Replaced by the current bridge, but reusing many of the piers
Built 1889 under engineer George S. Morison; replaced during 1949-52

Gale Bridge
Through truss bridge over Sexton Creek on Old Illinois Route 3 just off New Route 3 near Gale
Open to two-lane traffic with a 36 ton weight limit
Built 1933; bypassed by new bridge in 1990

Miller Creek Bridge
Pony truss bridge over Miller Creek on Old Illinois Route 3 northeast of Thebes, 1 mi. north of Thebes
Open to two-lane traffic
Built 1933

Rock Spring Hollow Trestle
Lost railroad trestle over Orchard Creek and Rock Spring Hollow south of Thebes in Thebes
Several concrete footings remain

Thebes Bridge
Cantilevered through truss railroad bridge over the Mississippi River at Thebes
Open to railroad traffic on two tracks
Built 1905 by a consortium of five railroad companies