Meramec River Bridge

Route 66 State Park, Eureka, MO
Phone:

East < GO > West

In 1931 Route 66 was rerouted going west out of St. Louis and this bridge was built to carry traffic over the Meramec River. It used a Warren deck truss design which is a uncommon in Missouri.

After a new eastbound bridge was built in 1956 to accommodate an increase in traffic this bridge carried westbound traffic on Route 66 until I-44 opened in 1968. After that it continued to carry local traffic until 2009.

In 2009 it was declared unsafe and was closed to traffic. In 2012 decking and and rails were removed. The future of the bridge is uncertain but plans are to hopefully have it restored to some degree.

This is the view of what's left of the bridge from the westbound lanes of I-44. This photo shows two of the three 130 foot truss spans and part of the third crossing the river itself. The bridge is about 1,009 feet long including approach spans and the deck was not quite 30 feet wide. Support for the bridge is provided by concrete piers and abutments.

Of course you can't stop on the freeway to take a photo, so we took this from a moving car. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

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Vintage Advertising Highlights

Highway 66 Bridge over Meramac River between Eureka and St. Louis, Mo.

NOTE: The image on this postcard appears to have been captured from the west river bank. The building on the right in the image is the old Bridgehead / Steiny's that is now the Route 66 State Park Visitor Center.
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Photo(s): 2017