Eads Bridge
Photos
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Oblique view from southwest Photo taken by James Baughn |
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View from riverfront Photo taken by James Baughn |
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Oblique view from northwest Photo taken by James Baughn |
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West approach Photo taken by James Baughn |
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Deck view Photo taken by James Baughn |
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Lewis and Clark statue Photo taken by James Baughn |
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Center span Photo taken by James Baughn |
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Center pier Photo taken by James Baughn |
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Below one arch Photo taken by James Baughn |
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Directly underneath Photo taken by James Baughn |
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Westbound train Photo taken by James Baughn |
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Eyebars Photo taken by James Baughn |
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Interface between arch and pier Photo taken by James Baughn |
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Arcade arches Photo taken by James Baughn |
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Removed arch Photo taken by James Baughn |
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Eads and Gateway arches Photo taken by James Baughn |
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Postcard: Deck view |
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Postcard: Passing steamboat |
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Postcard: Skyline |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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General View Of Bridge Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by Historic American Engineering Record |
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Photo taken by John Reidy |
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from the arch Photo taken by J.P. in December 0000 |
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Photo taken by J.P. in December 0000 |
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Photo taken by J.P. in December 0000 |
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Photo taken by J.P. in December 0000 |
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1975 HAARGIS photo |
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1975 HAARGIS photo |
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1975 HAARGIS photo |
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1975 HAARGIS photo |
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Eads bridge trolley station Photo by Eric Kinkhorst |
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Photo by Eric Kinkhorst |
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Photo by Eric Kinkhorst |
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Eads bridge Photo by Eric Kinkhorst |
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Eads Bridge1908 Photo by Eric Kinkhorst |
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Eads Bridge, Admiral Riverboat 1980 Photo by Eric Kinkhorst |
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Eads Bridge From the Cyclopedia of Civil Engineering-1916 Photo uploaded by Eddie Douthitt |
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The north face Photo taken by Mark Dellbringge in February 2011 |
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Western (MO) approach Photo taken by Mark Dellbringge in February 2011 |
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Under the 1st Street crossing Photo taken by Mark Dellbringge in February 2011 |
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1st Street abutment Eads chose Aux Vases sandstone for these abutments. Many of them show wind- and element-accelerated erosion. The huge blocks were manufactured downriver (in Mississippi) and shipped by barge back to the construction site. Photo taken by Mark Dellbringge in February 2011 |
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Brick arcade arches and Gateway Arch Photo taken by Mark Dellbringge in February 2011 |
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Looking east past Laclede's Landing MetroLink station, out to the main span Permission was obtained from Metro before taking this photo. Photo taken by Mark Dellbringge in February 2011 |
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East entrance to the Eads Bridge, looking northwest Taken from the East Riverfront MetroLink station. Permission was obtained from Metro before taking this photo. Photo taken by Mark Dellbringge in February 2011 |
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Arcade arches at the east entrance to the bridge This end of the bridge suffered major damage in the Memorial Day tornado of 1896, so the stone that makes up the arches looks a little newer here. This was taken at the East Riverfront MetroLink station. Permission was obtained from Metro before taking this photo. Photo taken by Mark Dellbringge in February 2011 |
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Along the southern face Photo taken by Mark Dellbringge in February 2011 |
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Along the southern face, at street level The hi-res version will show the color difference in the stone blocks that make up the arcade arches (railroad deck) which had to be replaced following the 1896 Memorial Day tornado. Photo taken by Mark Dellbringge in February 2011 |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Photo taken by James McCray |
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Eads Bridge: 1901 Photo from shorpy.com |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Lewis and Clark next to the bridge- underwater! When this pic was taken, parts of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers were still underwater because of the flooding during the spring. While water levels have subsided since May in and around St. Louis, other areas to the north are still underwater and will remain that way through the end of fall. Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith in August 2011 |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith in August 2011 |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith in August 2011 |
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Photo taken by Jason Smith in August 2011 |
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Taken from the Arch Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Taken from the Arch Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Taken from the Arch Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Taken from the Arch Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Taken from the Arch Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Taken from the Arch Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in August 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in August 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in August 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in August 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in August 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in August 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in August 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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"U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Bench Mark 1882" Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in August 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Photo taken by Ben Tate in September 2011 |
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Eads & MLK bridges from Gateway Arch Gene Smania, 6-89 License: Released into public domain |
Timeline
Compiled by James Baughn
- 1839
- Charles Ellet proposes building a suspension bridge across the Mississippi, but the project is rejected by the city as too expensive
- 1855
- Josiah Dent of St. Louis receives permission to build a suspension railroad bridge, but cannot raise enough money
- 1856
- John A. Roebling proposes a suspension bridge, but this venture is also unsuccessful
- 1866
- Congress issues charter authorizing the St. Louis and Illinois Bridge Co. to build a bridge in downtown St. Louis, but with several restrictions intended to cripple the project
- 1867
- Company selects James Eads as engineer-in-chief
- Feb. 25, 1868
- Cornerstone laid on top of bedrock for the west abutment
- Mar. 5, 1868
- The company buys out the rival Illinois and St. Louis Bridge Co., which unsuccessfully tried to sabotage the project
- Feb. 28, 1870
- East channel pier caisson reaches bedrock
- Apr. 1, 1870
- West pier reaches bedrock
- Mar. 8, 1871
- Tornado causes one death and $50,000 in damage
- Apr. 30, 1871
- East abutment caisson completed
- Feb. 1870
- Keystone Bridge Co. of Pittsburgh contracted to erect the steel arches
- May 24, 1874
- Upper roadway deck opened to pedestrians
- June 9, 1874
- First train crosses the rail deck
- July 4, 1874
- Bridge officially dedicated with a 15-mile long parade, inaugural train ride, speeches, and fireworks display
- Apr. 14, 1875
- Bridge company files for receivership because of delays in securing paying passenger train service
- Dec. 20, 1878
- Bridge sold at auction for $2.0 million
- 1881
- Railroad magnate Jay Gould acquires the bridge and eventually the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis gains control
- 1974
- Last Amtrak train crosses the bridge and the rails are later removed
- Oct. 21, 1974
- Designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark
- Aug. 31, 1989
- St. Louis acquires the bridge in a trade with the Terminal Railroad Association for the MacArthur Bridge
- 1993
- MetroLink light rail service across the lower deck of the bridge begins operation
- July 4, 2003
- Upper deck is officially opened to vehicular and pedestrian traffic
Facts
- Overview
- Three-span steel arch bridge over the Mississippi River in downtown St. Louis
- Location
- St. Louis, Missouri, and St. Clair County, Illinois
- Status
- Top deck open to four lanes of traffic with a pedestrian lane, bottom deck open to two tracks of MetroLink light rail service
- History
- Built 1869-1874 under the direction of engineer James Buchanan Eads; automobile deck closed 1989 - 2003 for rehabilitation and replacement; reopened July 4, 2003
- Builder
- - James Buchanan Eads
- Design
- Steel arch
- Dimensions
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Length of largest span: 533.0 ft.
Total length: 4,024.9 ft.
Deck width: 45.9 ft.
- Recognition
- Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +38.62879, -90.17890 (decimal degrees)
38°37'44" N, 90°10'44" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 15/745577/4279360 (zone/easting/northing)
- USGS topographic map
- Granite City
- Inventory numbers
- NRHP 66000946 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
MONBI 12992 (Missouri bridge number on the National Bridge Inventory)
BH 22625 (Bridgehunter.com ID) - Inspection (as of 05/2010)
- Deck condition rating: Good (7 out of 9)
Superstructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 69.3 (out of 100) - Average daily traffic (as of 2010)
- 2,000
Update Log
- February 28, 2012: New photo from Gene Smania
- January 28, 2012: Updated by Luke Harden: Added category "MetroLink"
- October 8, 2011: New photos from Ben Tate
- September 20, 2011: New photos from Jason Smith
- September 1, 2011: New photos from Jason Smith
- August 31, 2011: New photo from Jim Grey
- May 1, 2011: New photos from James McCray
- February 15, 2011: New photos from Mark Dellbringge
- February 7, 2011: New photos from Mark Dellbringge
- December 18, 2010: New photo from Eddie Douthitt
- September 13, 2010: New photo from Eric Kinkhorst
- July 16, 2010: New Street View added by Jacob P. Bernard
- May 9, 2010: New photos from Robert Stephenson
- April 15, 2010: New photos from J.P.
- April 5, 2010: New Street View added by James Baughn
- November 28, 2009: Posted HAER photos
- February 26, 2007: Posted all new photos
Sources
- HAER MO-12 - Eads Bridge
- Wikipedia
- John Reidy
- J.P.
- Robert Stephenson - seinfeld99 [at] yahoo [dot] com
- Jacob P. Bernard - jacob_bernard [at] yahoo [dot] com
- Eric Kinkhorst - e [dot] kinkhorst [at] centurytel [dot] net
- Eddie Douthitt - eddied62 [at] windstream [dot] net
- James McCray - jamesinslocomb [at] yahoo [dot] com
- Mark Dellbringge
- Jim Grey - mobilene [at] gmail [dot] com
- Jason Smith - JDSmith77 [at] gmx [dot] net
- Ben Tate - benji5221 [at] yahoo [dot] com
Comments
You are indeed correct here Ed!
Most of today's bridges are "under-designed"...by design.
Ed, OK I see, yeah that makes a lot more sense now.
Nathan, I don't think you understood my meaning. I was saying, in a kind of sarcastic way that 'they don't build them like they used too!' If you built a bridge like the Eads today the contractors would take you outside and hang you! The goal is to build bridges that need replacement every 40 years. Bridges like the "Cline Avenue Bridge" are nearer ideal in the modern world of engineering!
It is a matter of perspective to say he wasted material. For a bridge that perhaps was overbuilt in his day, it probably isn't overbuilt today given increased modern loading requirements. Most bridges built during the time of the Eads Bridge have been demolished because they were not able to support modern loads.
Well I think any untrained wantabe 'engineer' can overbuild a bridge to last 150 years. It takes a highly trained modern engineer using the best modern tools to build a bridge that falls apart right on schedule at about fourty years! Eads had no idea how much he wasted by overbuilding that bridge the way he did!
I guess from a technical standpoint you are correct...he never received a degree in civil engineering from any university. He was, however, self educated to the point where his achievements would seem to make that a moot point.
His Mississippi River Bridge is the true testament to his talents and abilities. I doubt that any formally trained civil engineer of today could do any better.
Eades was not an engineer.
A few photos of the eastern end of the Eads Bridge showing 1896 tornado damage aftermath, are at this link.
(Photos are copyrighted so I can't download them to put on website.)
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/cyclone/1896p7.htm
The following link is to Missouri History Museum's St. Louis River Scenes set at Flickr. There's some old photos of the bridge in this collection.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mohistory/sets/72157622914145514/with/4454235785/
The link will take you to an image of the bridge from 1931. It's part of the "Look Back" album at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about ice in the Mississippi River.
http://stltoday.mycapture.com/mycapture/enlarge.asp?image=33974440&event=1165522&CategoryID=23105
My Great Grandfather, William Peter Devine, a stone mason, from Ireland worked on the Eads Bridge and his name appeared on a plaque installed on the bridge. In addition, he worked on the rock wall at Shaw's Garden. He was hired by Mr. Shaw on the boat coming to America. Mr. Shaw was returning on his second trip. My Great-Grandfather lived and raised his family at 18th and Chouteau.
Hey Craig! - I think the lights were installed in 1981. I remember seeing them on while visiting the Old Spaghetti Factory on Laclede's Landing in 1982.
Does anyone remember what year it was what the Eads was lit up with those blue lights? My dad has this fantastic photograph of the bridge and I'm wondering when it was likely taken. He told me these blue lights shone for a very brief time, and they were quickly turned off because they took so much energy to keep on. Anyone know?
How long is the Eads Bridge, really? Or perhaps the question is where do you begin measuring he length of the bridge? I ask because the longest of three spans is reported to be 533' (or 520' in other sources) while the overall length is reported to be over 4000'. If the span measurement is correct, the three spans and the arched approaches seem closer to 2000' than 4000'. To make matters more confusing, the overall length of the bridge is reported in other sources to be 6442'. I love the bridge. I'm just trying to figure out what I'm missing.
There should be two engineers required for study. James Buchanan Eads and Conde Balcom McCullough. Two geniuses way ahead of their time.
We LOVE our bridges! We aren't fond of DOT's that disrespect bridges.
This is a LOVE only site......no hate allowed here!
If you hate bridges, invest in a canoe.
Hate what?
i hate this so much
you have no idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
140 years old, and still carrying everyday rail and Interstate highway traffic. They don't make them like this anymore. James Eads should be required study for all engineers.
I was looking at the images from the HAER report. The photos were taken in May of 1983 by Jet Lowe. I checked the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service page to find the out the Mississippi River level because the river was flooding. The river crested at 39 ft on May 4, 1983. In one of the images, I can see the shadow of the photographer and his tripod in the flood water.
The highest recorded flood level was 49.58 ft on 08/01/1993.
Information from this site:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=lsx&gage=eadm7&view=1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1
In late 2010, maintenance work will begin on this bridge and take about two years to complete. The work will be done on the MetroLink portion of the bridge below the road deck. MetroLink received stimulus money that is restricted to capital projects. A new road deck was completed in 2003.
The full article can be read here:
I lived for 8 years in St. Louis. My brothers still live in the county. I have crossed the bridge many times with little thought to its creation and saga of one James Eads.
If you are a St. Louisian and have not read the life story of James Eads, you will not truely understand the trauma and toil he suffered to get this bridge built. A book of his life, "Road to the Sea" and the Mississippi River, by Florence Dorsey, was mesmerizing.
Modern St. Louis is enriched by his efforts. This bridge is a testament to his perserverance. It is still one of the most beautiful bridges in the world. That it has weathered tremors, earthquakes and the elements is testament to his great labor and design.
I lived in Illinois and worked for wohl shoe co on washington ave and use to drive that bridge everyday was a dime toll as I recall. I loved that bridge and Mc A that came out at the dog food co checker board square i think. anyway just a note we all love the bridge
I was born and raised in St. Louis. My father, who is a history buff, told me all about the bridge many times throughout my childhood and its mystique stuck with me. After all these years I still never tire of seeing it. I took the image below at sunrise in August of 2005. Coincidentally, my childhood neighborhood in Crestwood was next to the old Eads mansion which was demolished when I-44 was constructed.
That this wonderful structure is in use again after many years of neglect is one of the great success stories in historic bridge renovation. The lower train deck has been refurbished for use by the Metrolink light rail service and the upper road deck carries vehicular traffic.
Fans of the bridge should be aware of the book "The Eads Bridge". Originally published in 1979, it was out of print for many years until 1999 when a 2nd edition was published by the Missouri Historical Society Press. There is a remarkable, extensive black and white photographic essay and a companion history about the construction of the bridge. It's a wonderful publication.
I really miss the blue lights that used to shine acrossed the bridge. I wish someone could start a fund raiser to light it up again. It is a beautiful piece of St. Louis History and deserves the same lighting and respect as the Old Courthouse, Cathedral and the arch.
Light the bridge
My grandfather helped construct this bridge. He was one of the civil engineers that worked on it. I am proud of his work!
I have been a fan of old and/or unusual bridges for most of my 74 years. I appreciate the fine pictures and the information found at this website. Mr.Eads went on to contribute many engineering innovations on the Mississippi River.
I am reading a book " Rising Tides" which describes the building of this bridge and all the people involved.
I thank you for having so much good information on this site about this and other brdges
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/mo/st-louis-city/eads/