Mile 190.5 - Highway 66 “Chain of Rocks” Bridge
190.5 Highway 66 “Chain of Rocks” Bridge
Your best visual advantage of the Chain of Rocks waterfall is from the Highway 66 Bridge, which crosses the river at just above the Chain, and makes an abrupt 22 degree angle halfway across the river. Make time before you get on the river to walk up the bridge for scouting the Chain. You can access bridge from either side. In Missouri, park in turnout off of Riverview Drive (State Hwy H). In Illinois access is at the end of Chain of Rocks Road (from Hwy 3). This tall narrow bridge has been converted into a pedestrian-only walkway which yields not only a complete sweeping view of the Chain, but long views over Mosenthein Island and on downstream. An unusual perspective of downtown St. Lou here seen rising over the forests of Choteau Island. The Arch is presented edgewise. The Busch Stadium is visible surrounded by tall office buildings. Some church spires slice through the lines of trees. Cell towers and radio towers rise highest of all.
The St. Louis geology is dolomite and limestone of the Mississippian Epoch, becoming karst towards the south side of town. St. Louis has its own limestone named after it, the “St. Louis limestone,” which is used as dimension stone and rubble for construction. Coal, brick clay and millerite ore were once mined here. As you look across the city, you will notice that almost all the neighborhoods slope downward from west to east. St. Louis sprawls over rolling 100-200 foot tall bluffs that attain their greatest heights along the Missouri River (The Missouri River bluffs seen at Chesterfield, Bellefontaine, Maryland Heights, Hazelwood and Florissant ) and gently undulate eastward as they drop in elevation towards the Mississippi River. Most of the caves in the city have been sealed, but many springs are visible along the riverfront, and you will see them at the base of the exposed cliffs here and elsewhere downstream, particularly in low water.
The Chain of Rocks Bridge opened in 1929, carrying the Route 66 bypass route around St. Louis. It is named for the rocky outcrop which creates a section of rapids in the river. The shoals were a severe navigational hazard, to the point that they were eventually bypassed entirely with the 9-mile-long Chain of Rocks Canal.
The bridge's famous 22-degree bend is the result of a confluence of several problems. According to one source, the bridge's builders owned parcels of land that were not directly across the river from each other. The Army Corps of Engineers would not allow them to build the bridge on a diagonal path across the river; therefore the bridge crosses the navigable portion of the river on a perpendicular path, then changes direction in the middle to touch down on the right parcel on the Illinois side.A second source states that a straight bridge would either not have had foundations on solid bedrock, or else would have blocked river traffic from aligning with the river current, risking boat-bridge collisions.
Set in a rather isolated spot, the mile-long bridge was never a money maker, and the bridge company went bankrupt in 1931. Ownership passed to the town of Madison. The bridge was superseded by the nearby I-274 bridges in 1965. Stripped of its tolls by Federal mandate, the bridge was closed in 1968.
Chain of Rocks Bridge was nearly demolished in 1975, until a sharp drop in the price of scrap meant that the demolition would not pay for itself. Abandoned and left to rot, it served as a set for the 1981 thriller Escape From New York. It also became a hangout for teens and hoodlums, and gained notoriety after a double murder in 1991.
Regional bicycle group TrailNet successfully lobbied to have the bridge converted to a bike and walking path; it reopened in 1999 with lighting, observation bump-outs, and various other amenities. It remains a popular recreation spot, as well as a viewing platform for observing bald eagles. It also offers an excellent view of the city's two water intake structures. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. (From Built St. Louis)