Mile 734.7 - The Harahan Bridge

734.7 The Harahan Bridge

This is the only railroad bridge between St. Louis and the Gulf of Mexico that is also used simultaneously by pedestrians and vehicles. It was originally named The Rock Island Bridge and was renamed after James T. Harahan, the president of Rock Island Railroad who was killed four years before the bridge was completed. Ironically he was killed when his car was hit by an oncoming train. On postcards this bridge is sometimes called The Missouri Pacific Iron Mountain Bridge. Completed in 1916 the bridge was structurally advanced for its time, although 23 workers of the steel company lost their lives during its construction. In 1917 cars and trucks were allowed to use the bridge, single file, driving on a narrow, one way wooden roadway that was suspended on the OUTSIDE of the bridge. There was only a short railing on the outside edge of the road.

It wasn't until 1949 when the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge opened, that drivers had a much safer means of crossing to Arkansas. Freight trains continue to use the Harahan Bridge. The main bridge structure is 2,548 feet long. The bridge spans match the lengths of the bridge spans of the older Frisco Bridge. This was required by the US Army Corps of Engineers to ensure that the piers would line up so as not to encroach on the navigation channels.