Complex sentence: The bridge was built in 1951 as the Veterans' Memorial Bridge to relieve congestion on the MacArthur Bridge to the south and was built as a toll bridge and was owned by the City of East St. Louis.
Split into simpler sentences: The bridge was built in 1951 as the Veterans' Memorial Bridge to relieve congestion on the MacArthur Bridge to the south. Built as a toll bridge, it was owned by the City of East St. Louis.