The Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge is a

cable-stayed bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern ...

connecting

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

Route 34 The following highways are numbered 34: for a list of roads numbered N34 : see list of N34 roads. International * AH34, Asian Highway 34 * European route E34 Australia * Cox Peninsula Road (Northern Territory) * (Sydney) * Maroondah Highway (Vi ...

and Route 74 with Illinois Route 146 across the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

between

Cape Girardeau, Missouri Cape Girardeau ( , french: Cap-Girardeau ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,540. The city is one of two principal citi ...

and East Cape Girardeau, Illinois. It was built just south of its predecessor, the

Cape Girardeau Bridge The Cape Girardeau Bridge was a continuous through truss bridge connecting Missouri's Route 34 with Illinois Route 146 across the Mississippi River between Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and East Cape Girardeau, Illinois. It was replaced in 2003 wit ...

, which was completed in 1928 and demolished in 2004. Prior to its destruction, it was documented for the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

Historic American Engineering Record Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

br>Survey number HAER MO-84
The bridge is named after

Bill Emerson Norvell William Emerson (January 1, 1938 – June 22, 1996) was an American politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri from 1981 until his death from lung cancer in Bethesda, Maryland in ...

, a Missouri politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 until his death in 1996. Planning for the four-lane structure began in June 1987, and construction began in late 1996. Several factors have been blamed for the bridge's many delays in planning and construction, including Illinois' reluctance to participate in the project, as well as issues with the bedrock of the river (this resulted in the hiring of a new contractor). The bridge was featured in the 2014 David Fincher film '' Gone Girl''.

References

External links

Emerson Memorial Bridge
Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge

Cable-stayed bridges in the United States Towers in Missouri Towers in Illinois Bridges over the Mississippi River Bridges completed in 1928 Bridges completed in 2003 Road bridges in Illinois Buildings and structures in Cape Girardeau, Missouri Road bridges in Missouri Buildings and structures in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri 1928 establishments in the United States Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States {{Missouri-bridge-struct-stub

See also

References

External links