The Clark Bridge is a

cable-stayed bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which wire rope, cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or wikt:stay#Etymology 3, stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, norm ...

across the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

between West Alton, Missouri and

Alton, Illinois Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a part of the River Bend (Illinois), Riv ...

, United States. Named after explorer

William Clark William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Misso ...

like the bridge it replaced, the bridge opened in 1994. It carries

U.S. Route 67 U.S. Route 67 is a major north–south U.S. highway which extends for 1,560 miles (2,511 km) in the Central United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the United States-Mexico border in Presidio, Texas, where it continues ...

across the river. It is the northernmost river crossing in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The new $85 million, replaced the old Clark Bridge, which was only wide.David Goodyear and Ralph Salamie, "The Clark Bridge"
''Civil Engineering'', August 1994, accessed 4 August 2009 The

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

was built in 1928. The new bridge carries two lanes of divided traffic in each direction, as well as two bike lanes. The old bridge carried only two lanes (similar to the upstream Champ Clark Bridge). The bridge is sometimes referred to as the Super Bridge, and its construction process was documented in the 1997 ''NOVA'' episode ''Super Bridge'', which highlighted the challenges of building the bridge, especially during the

Great Flood of 1993 The Great Flood of 1993 (or Great Mississippi and Missouri Rivers Flood of 1993) was a flood that occurred in the Midwestern United States, along the Mississippi River, Mississippi and Missouri River, Missouri rivers and their tributaries, from ...

. Designed by Hanson Engineers under contract to

Illinois Department of Transportation The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is a state agency in charge of state-maintained public roadways of the U.S. state of Illinois. In addition, IDOT provides funding for rail, public transit and airport projects and administers f ...

(DOT), the Clark Bridge was the first in the United States in which "such a light steel-framed cable-stayed design was combined with a cable saddle type of pylon". The bridge used of structural steel; of concrete; and more than of cable wrapped with of yellow plastic piping."Clark Bridge - Alton, Illinois"
Alton Web, accessed 4 August 2009

Gallery

File:Clark Bridge from Melvin Price Locks.jpg, The Clark Bridge. View is upriver to the northwest from the Melvin Price Locks below the bridge File:Clark Bridge at Alton, Illinois.jpg, Clark Bridge as seen from the Missouri side of the Mississippi File:Altonbridge.jpg, Clark Bridge seen from the Alton Marina File:2006-09-05 3000x1700 alton clark bridge.jpg File:Clark Bridge P7100193.JPG, Clark Bridge at Alton, Illinois from the Missouri side. File:Clark Bridge, Alton, Illinois.jpg, View of the Clark Bridge spanning the Mississippi River from the Alton, Illinois side File:Clark Bridge at night.jpg, Clark Bridge at night; taken from the Ellis Island Bird Sanctuary, West Alton, Missouri.

References

External links

*
David Goodyear and Ralph Salamie, "The Clark Bridge"
from ''Civil Engineering'', August 1994
"Super Bridge"
PBS, Companion page for NOVA episode * "Super Bridge", PBS Nova episode, replay of full episode on Archive.org {{Authority control Cable-stayed bridges in the United States Bridges over the Mississippi River Bridges in Greater St. Louis Bridges in St. Charles County, Missouri Bridges in Madison County, Illinois Alton, Illinois Bridges completed in 1994 Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Road bridges in Illinois Road bridges in Missouri U.S. Route 67 Steel bridges in the United States Concrete bridges in the United States 1994 establishments in Illinois 1994 establishments in Missouri Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States

See also

Gallery

References

External links