The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-07-28
BIGGEST BRIDGE
ON The RIVER
New St. Louis Free Bridge Will be
Almost Two Miles Long and
20 Feet Higher Than
Mckinley Bridge.
TOTAL OF e1e5 FEET
Now in Process Of contructi5n md
When Completed, viii be the
Largest on the Mis-.
slssippl.
TOTAL OF e1e5 FEET

The st. Louis free bridge, when
completed, is going to be bigger than
any other bridge on the Mississippi
river A side elevation OF the cit 8
bridge on the same sheet with the
Mckinley bridge, now being erected
at the foot of Salisbury street, both
drawn to the same scale, shows the
free bridge to be more than twice as
large. 1t is higher, wider and long
er, and the amount of steel put into
the free bridge, weight considered,
would build two Mckinley bridges
and have a lot to spare.
Almost every part of the free bridge
is larger. It is a double-decker, as
against single deck on the McKin-
ley. 1t is considerably wider, because
it not only affords space for a double
track street railway, but for road
way and two sidewalks as we'll, the
Mckinley bridge having only road
way sufficient to carry the double
track electric railway.
The war department added very
largely to the size of the free bridge,
and also to the cost by demanding is
feet more of height in the middle of
the river and 20 feet more on each
side than was demanded Of the Nc
Kinley people. he free bridge had to
be 65 feet above high water at every
point The Mckinley is only so feet
above high water in the middle and
1914 feet at each end The city was
allowed to put but two piers In the
river at Chouteau avenue, while the
Mckinley people were permitted to
put all four oil theirs in the water at
Salisbury street The requirements
made 1t necessary for the city to
build its bridge proper 2022 feet long,
IN three spans, against 1865 feet re-
CURED of the Mckinley.
From the east end of the approach
Of each bridge to the west end, there
is difference of 26S2.96 feet, more
than two-thirds of mile. The steel
construction CT the east approach on
the free bridge, extending to Tenth
street and Piggott avenue, in East
st. Louis, is 492S.2s feet, against but
800 feet of steel work in the east
Mckinley approach. On the west side
the Mckinley has an advantage in
length of approach, going further out
into the river and extending up to
Ninth street. 1t is 1850 feet against
i2lS3.3 feet for the west free bridge
approach. The total length of the Nc
Kinley bridge. approaches and all,
is 6165 feet. The free bridge, stretch
Ing out from Seventh and Papin
streets on the west to Tenth street
and Piggott avenue on the east. is
9797.96 feet.
Another thing that made the free
bridge cost more, and which tends to
Show how much less suitable was the
Chouteau avenue site than some 9TH
ers that might have been chosen,
from standpoint of saving in con
struction cost, is the amount of steel
mat had to be put in the approaches.
The free bridge approaches not only
are half mile longer altogether, but
are SO much higher from the ground
mat three or four times as much steel
assneeded for the same length of con-
slruction. For half mile on the east |
sue and quarter of a mile on Tie
west side free bridge approaches have
lhree bents Of steel bringing it
hundred feet high, while at no point
IN the Mckinley approaches was more
,iah one bent used The free bridge
approaches also have to have two
Viaaucts of no mean dimensions, one
spanning the Illinois Central tracks
On the east and the other spanning /
broadway on the west
The site chosen by the Mckinley
people was nearly ideal, for the I
ground rises rapidly on each side, !
=, the approaches necessary
Inc 20 feet of additional height de- I
ianded where the approaches leave |
lne free bridge increased the cost, I
'u' not the length of the approach. for
! was necessary to build entirely
across the fiat ground opposite Chou
'eau avenue. 1t also was necessary
sltner to tunnel under the Illinois
zentral tracks or go over them. no
, ,,s crossings being permissible in
illinois.
Z ne middle span of the free bridge
! 10 be SIT feet long, against 52s for
ne Mckinley middle span, while the
nd spans on the city bridge are to
e 672. against 521 on the Mckinley.
ne Merchants bridge spans are all
ust 6 inches longer than the Nc
lnley. The Eads are 1913 feet long.
r on the two end spans and 3 feet
norter on the middle span. The
ads and Merchants bridges are both
rom 1s to rs feet lower than the
zee bridge.
Following are the lengths of the
ridge proper of all St Louis bridges:
aus ...,t..s .-....s..... 1,594.6 feet
:, chants ... .,....... I,565.5 feet
eiNiilley ...,., $50. 1860 feet
zee Bridge Ssaoof n faof ,