Sunday, February 9, 2014

New Bridge On The Mississippi

New Bridge Opening 2014-02-08 3

For a several decades, STL has had one main bridge that carried the Interstate highways (55, 64 and 70) across the Mississippi. It's choked with traffic at rush hour and always seems to be under repair. A couple of other old bridges were essentially extensions of the city streets. It was time for more capacity.

Thus, the brand-new Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge, just for I 70 and another means of access to downtown. It's a wonder the thing got built. Illinois wanted a toll bridge with many more lanes. Missouri, a low-tax, low-service state, insisted it be free and who cares if it's wide enough. Since the men and women of the armed services are held in high esteem these days (it wasn't always so - think Vietnam), Illinois wanted to call it the Veterans Memorial Bridge. Cardinal-worshiping Missouri wanted to name it the Stan Musial Bridge, after the greatest god in the team pantheon, who died last year. Hence, the compromise, with a name that falls liltingly off the tongue and probably has too few lanes (just two in each direction).

The public was invited to wander around on it yesterday afternoon. Many big-shot politicians showed up, including some I actually like. Cars may travel on it today. It is handsome. I hear the night lighting is fabulous. Much of it is visible from my office window so we'll get that later.

So, we will have several days of architecture, crowds, politicos, signage and barge traffic on the ice-filled Mississippi.                         

12 comments:

Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.com said...

To be named for Stan Musial is great. To go to all of the trouble and expense of building a bridge, but limit it to two lanes in each direction, makes no sense.

Hopefully the shoulders are wide enough to add another lane.

s.c said...

It seems common today to build bridges that are in no time to small for the traffic. Here in the Netherlands bridges build in the eighties are constantly doubled in capacity. Must be the way the money calculators of the government have the last word and not the planners of the infra structure. Of course now its much more expensive to correct the planning figures then doing it the first time right.
Your photo looks like a great graphical composition. I like it.

Luis Gomez said...

Great Bob. Love bridges. Looking forward your pictures of it.

Pat said...

Really like this one.

Sharon said...

I love this shot! I'm trying to picture where this is. I might have to get out a map and take a look.

Memphis MOJO said...

Nice shot. Two lanes? Really?

TheChieftess said...

Wow!!! Don't know about the bridge...but your photo is superb!!! Love the Geometrics...

Hope 2 lanes each way is sufficient...seems a bit retro thinking to me!!!

William Kendall said...

I would have thought that six lanes in both directions would make more sense long term than four lanes total...

Jack said...

This is exciting. (I loved your explanation/interpretation of the interstate drama that produced the bridge.) More!

Birdman said...

Nice angle here.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Love the combining of the two names Bob.. it looks like a magnificent bridge and I see many photo ops coming up for you, especially as it's so close to your office.

Stefan Jansson said...

Congrats to the new bridge, it will give you a few photo opportunities whatever it is called!