Chester Bridge

For the Roman bridge in England, see Chesters Bridge.
Chester Bridge
Coordinates37°54′11″N 89°50′11″W / 37.90306°N 89.83639°W / 37.90306; -89.83639
Carries2 lanes of Route 51/ IL 150
CrossesMississippi River
LocalePerryville, Missouri and Chester, Illinois
Maintained byMissouri Department of Transportation
Characteristics
DesignContinuous truss bridge
Total length2,826 feet (861 m)
Width22 feet (7 m)
Longest span670 feet (204 m)
Clearance below104 feet (32 m)
History
OpenedAugust 23, 1942
Location
Map
The bridge at sunset.

The Chester Bridge is a bridge connecting Missouri's Route 51 with Illinois Route 150 across the Mississippi River between Perryville, Missouri and Chester, Illinois. It is the only motor-traffic bridge spanning the Mississippi River between St. Louis and Cape Girardeau, Missouri.[1]

History

The Chester Bridge is a two-lane traffic bridge. Construction began in 1941 and was finished in 1942 at a cost of $1.385 million (1942 dollars). The bridge was destroyed by a severe thunderstorm on July 29, 1944, and reconstructed 2 years later. The bridge serves about 6,400 vehicles per day.[2]

Inspections in 2020 showed the bridge to be in poor condition.[3][4][5] The Missouri Department of Transportation plans to replace the bridge by 2028.[4][5]

References

  1. ↑ "City of Chester, Illinois". Retrieved 2021-10-08.
  2. ↑ "Bridgehunter.com". Archived from the original on 2015-07-09. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
  3. ↑ Mandy Robertson (2020-09-04). "Weight limit on Chester Bridge reduced to 25 tons". WSIL. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Chester Bridge | Missouri Department of Transportation". www.modot.org. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Writer, Pete SpitlerStaff. "MoDOT evaluating Chester Bridge for replacement". Star Courier - Kewanee, IL. Archived from the original on 2021-10-09. Retrieved 2021-10-08.