St. Louis McKinley Bridge re-opens Saturday, with bike/ped lanes

The McKinley Bridge, which crosses the Mississippi River near downtown St. Louis, has been closed for several years.

Saturday, November 17th, 2007, the bridge will re-open--with a dedicated bicycle/pedestrian lane that connects with the St. Louis Riverfront Trail.

The Metro East Cycling club will hold a ride Saturday that will cross the newly opened bridge.

KETC St. Louis has a fascinating segment about the history of the bridge, which was originally opened in 1910. (WMV video) At that time the bridge carried freight train and commuter rail traffic in the center, with walking, bicycling, carriage and auto traffic on the outer, cantilevered lanes.

Later the bridge was retrofitted to carry auto traffic in the center lanes.

After the current renovation, auto traffic will have the two lanes in the center, the south cantilevered lane will be for bicycle and pedestrian traffic, and the north cantilevered lane will be for maintenance access.