Jefferson Barracks Bridge

Jefferson Barracks Bridge
The bridge in 2026
Coordinates38°29′14″N 90°16′38″W / 38.48722°N 90.27722°W / 38.48722; -90.27722
Carries6 lanes of I-255 / US 50
CrossesMississippi River
LocaleSt. Louis, Missouri and Columbia, Illinois
Official nameJefferson Barracks Memorial Arch Bridge
Other nameJ.B. Bridge
Maintained byMissouri Department of Transportation
Characteristics
DesignTwin tied arch bridges
Total length3,998 feet (1,219 m)
Longest span910 feet (277 m)
88 feet (27 m)
History
OpenedWestbound lanes: September 30, 1983 (September 30, 1983)
Eastbound lanes: 1992 (1992)
Statistics
Daily traffic63,199 (2008)[1]
Location
Interactive map of Jefferson Barracks Bridge

The Jefferson Barracks Bridge, officially the Jefferson Barracks Memorial Arch Bridge and locally referred to as the JB Bridge, is a pair of bridges across the Mississippi River on the south side of St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area. The name comes from the nearby Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, itself originally part of the large Jefferson Barracks military complex, established in 1826 and decommissioned in 1946.[2]

The bridge carries traffic for both Interstate 255 (part of the St. Louis beltway) and U.S. Route 50.[3] Each bridge is 3,998 feet (1,219 m) long with a 909-foot (277 m) long arch bridge spanning the shipping channel.[4]

History

Prior to the construction of the original bridge, river crossings in this area were made via the Davis Street Ferry in the Carondelet neighborhood of St. Louis.[3]

The original Jefferson Barracks Bridge was a steel truss toll bridge[5] that carried U.S. Route 50. Construction on that bridge began on August 5, 1942, and it opened two years later. A toll was charged until 1959, when the construction bonds were paid off.[3]

The northern span of the current bridge was built in 1983. I-255 itself was not built until a few years after the northern bridge opened. The southern span opened in 1992. A delay occurred during the construction of the southern bridge when a crane dropped a section of it into the river and it had to be rebuilt. [3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "2008 District 6 Traffic Volume and Commercial Vehicle Count Map" (PDF). MoDOT. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 14, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  2. ↑ Hamilton, Esley (1990). "Lemay - Inventory of Historic Buildings - Phase 1" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. p. 4. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Like a Bridge Over Muddy Water". www.stlmag.com. September 20, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Jefferson Barracks Bridge (Saint Louis/Columbia, 1983)". Structurae. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  5. ↑ Map of the Missouri State Highway System Archived 2012-09-13 at the Wayback Machine as of January 1, 1953
Aerial view of the bridge during the Great Flood of 1993


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