The old chain of rocks bridge spans the mississippi river on the north edge of st. The bridge was closed in 1967 when the new chain of rocks bridge was built for i 270 just to the north of this bridge. I270 bridge over the mississippi river phase i horner. This article is about the bridge built in 1966 which currently carries i 270 traffic. Join us for eagle days at the old chain of rocks bridge. Big muddy mike describes it at low water, when a portage is required at seven feet gauge height in st. As a result, any construction work or major accident on either bridge almost always. For the older bridge which now carries pedestrian traffic, see chain of rocks bridge. Later, when i270 was constructed, a pair of big metal monster bridges were built just north of us66. Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online.
It links two statesillinois and missourinorth of st. To get to the illinois trail end from i270, take exit 3 onto state route 3. In 1981, the bridge was used in the shooting of the movie escape from new york, along with other sites in st. Eagle days at old chain of rocks bridge happening next. Expect i270 to be closed between missouri and illinois 3 at 10 a. The canal cut across highway us66, so a bridge had to be built over the canal. Public meetings for i270 bridge replacement over mississippi. Chain of rocks i270 canal bridge blast demolition part 1. Louis, the chain of rocks is a thundering obstacle course created by the mass of mississippi river water 200,000 cfs at 7slg flowing to a precipitous point, a ledge stretching the entire width of the river with massive boulders, rocks and. Community guide 2019 by edwardsville publishing issuu. Work will be conducted from 7am until 5pm, monday saturday.
Pair of cantilevered through truss bridges over chain of rocks canal on i 270 in granite city location madison county, illinois status replaced by a new bridge future prospects demolished januaryfebruary 2015 history built ca. Whether exploring your own backyard or somewhere new, discover the freedom of the open road with lonely planets usas best trips. Following its closure the bridge gained a reputation for crime and violence. There is a need to provide a sustainable, longterm solution that increases safety, accommodates future traffic growth, and provides for continued movement of regional and national goods and services. Turn left into the entrance of the confluence of the. One of the two westbound lanes on the chain of rocks bridge will be closed until 3 p. It has been closed since 1968 after the opening of the i 270 free bridge nearby. The structure will be dropped and then removed from the waterway within 24hours, during which time the waterway will be blocked to marine traffic. Facebook page devoting to the issues and problems relating to the 5 mile section of i270 in st. Right after crossing the railroad, take the exit to old alton rd. This bridge is on the new i 270 alignment, and it crosses the main channel of the mississippi river. Old chain of rocks bridge illinois trails traillink. Louis, mo save the date this january for the popular eagle days at the old chain of rocks bridge festival in 2018 eagle days at the old chain of rocks bridge will take place from 9 a.
Chain rocks bridge st louis stock photos and images alamy. I270 chain of rocks canal and river bridge youtube. Crews set charges on the old east bound i270 canal bridge and then boom it was in the canal. Rehabilitation of the i270 chain of rocks bridge over the. Planning design studio qualifications by planning design. The chain of rocks bridge, built in 1929 predates the cutting of the canal by the army corps of engineers.
Acrow temporary lift bridge on the sr 80 bridge replacement project in west palm beach, fl, by. Feb 27, 2007 in 1967, the new chain of rocks bridge was built immediately to the bridge s north in order to carry i 270. Or to park on the missouri side, continue on i 270 west, over the mississippi river. All of the comments and photos are for the old chain of rocks bridge. Drone footagechain of rocks i270 canal bridge blast demolition part 2 duration. Chain of rocks canal a mv struck an object along the ldb in the vicinity of the i270 bridge. The bridge has 2 water intakes jsut to the south of it and is also viewble from the i 270 bridges just north of it. This structure is known locally as the chain of rocks bridge. There are four bridges as part of the chain of rocks crossing, two on the new i 270 alignment, and two on the old us66 alignment. The eastern end of the bridge is on chouteau island part of madison, illinois, while the western end is on the missouri shoreline. I understand that cag membership requires a commitment to.
You can access the bridge from either the missouri or illinois side. I270 bridge over the mississippi river phase i illinois department of transportation. In background, looking northwest upper mississippi river 9foot channel project, lock and dam 27. The bridge was closed in 1967 when the new chain of rocks bridge was built for i270 just to the north of this bridge. For overall project information, call project manager mike rodgers at 3143318215. Safe, accountable, flexible, efficient transportation equity act. The chain of rocks bridge became a part of route 66 in 1936 and was used until 1968 when the opening of the tollfree i 270 bridges caused a decline in traffic. Gc68m54 chain of rocks earthcache in illinois, united. Navigation channel condition status report 8 march 2017. Featuring 52 amazing road trips, from 2day escapes to 2week adventures, you can cruise the cliffs along californias big sur coast or roll alongside appalachian hills, all with your trusted. This project consisted of seismic retrofit, bearing replacements, significant deck repairs and guardrail replacement. The bridge was closed for all traffic for a time, but has been reopened for pedestrian and bicycle traffic only. Just beyond the old i270 bridges is the chain of rocks canal bridge, built in 1949 as part of the canal project to carry traffic between the illinois mainland and the newly formed island.
Drone footage chain of rocks i270 canal bridge blast demolition part 2 duration. There is a need to provide a sustainable, longterm solution that increases safety, accommodates future traffic growth, and provides for continued movement of regional and national goods and services while preserving the. The explosion is the second of three explosive demolitions of the old i270 mississippi canal bridges. I270 over chain of rocks canal kaskaskia engineering group.
I270 chain of rocks road canal bridge american institute of. These are the bridges built in 1966 to carry the route 66 traffic that for years before had used the old chain of rocks bridge. Pair of cantilevered through truss bridges over chain of rocks canal on i270 in granite city location madison county, illinois status replaced by a new bridge future prospects demolished januaryfebruary 2015 history built ca. Granite city, il old chain of rocks route 66 bridge. The coupon code has been removed from your cart is not a valid coupon code. The bridge is directly west of the chain of rocks canal bridge structure and on interstate 270 that goes into illinois from riverview, mo. There are four bridges as part of the chain of rocks crossing, two on the new i270 alignment, and two on the old us66 alignment. It is especially significant because it was the route 66 bridge over the mississippi and for its unusual 22 degree bend at the midpoint of the span. Louis, missouri, known locally as the chain of rocks bridge. Much of the retrofitting work required access from the river. Illinois department of transportation idot madison county, il. On the missouri side, take exit 34 riverview drive and head south. Later, when i 270 was constructed, a pair of big metal monster bridges were built just north of us66.
Directions to the old chain of rocks bridge from st. Feb 28, 2007 the chain of rocks bridge had been built in 1929 as a toll bridge across the mississippi river and became the most famous crossing for route 66. Drone footage chain of rocks i 270 canal bridge blast demolition part 2 duration. The chain of rocks bridge opened in 1929 and charged a 5 cent toll. The road meets the railway tracks 325 miles, and you must access i270 to cross the tracks at namekoi rd. In 1981, the bridge was used in the shooting of the movie escape. Safe, accountable, flexible, efficient transportation. Old chain of rocks canal highway bridge posted may 21, 2019, by tony dillon spansaver at hotmail dot com based on the fulllength diagonals alternating changing direction, i feel it is correctly labeled as a subdivided warren. The event is hosted by the missouri department of conservation mdc, illinois department of natural resources idnr and great rivers. Eagle days at the old chain of rocks bridge returns jan.
Its most notable feature is a 22degree bend occurring at the middle of the crossing. The old bridge was closed in 1970 and its fate was uncertain for three decades though demolition seemed most likely. I270 chain of rocks canal bridge replacement project construction phase services. The chain of rocks bridge had been built in 1929 as a toll bridge across the mississippi river and became the most famous crossing for route 66. Trailnet is currently operating the chain of rocks bridge from the missouri side. In 1966, a new chain of rocks bridge was built to the north of the old span in order to carry i270 traffic. I am submitting this request to become a member of the community advisory group cag for idots i270 over the mississippi river bridge project. This turn was a compromise between putting the supporting foundation of the bridge on firm ground and enabling fee access down the river in the years.
Old chain of rocks bridge on the mississippi river, granite city illinois. It rained the day we were there, but was still beautiful. Read on wikipedia edit history talk page print download pdf. The bumpy ride and poor visibility over the hump made crossing the bridge pretty nervewracking. The bridge was noteworthy as a good representation of truss bridge construction in the 1960s. The bridge is short and narrow, only 1 mile long by 24 feet wide, but it now carries bikes and pedestrians instead of cars across the river.
Presentations from our technical conferences are available for download. Madison county i270 over the mississippi river idot illinois. I270 over the mississippi river bridge project community. Oct 26, 2019 in 1966, a new chain of rocks bridge was built to the north of the old span in order to carry i 270 traffic. The bridge over the chain of rocks canal is visible in the distance.
Eagle days at the old chain of rocks bridge festival will return for 2018 on saturday and sunday, jan. You may not be able to cross the chain of rocks bridge nowadays, but interstate 270 crosses the mississippi river within view of the old chain of rocks bridge and follows the old path. Phase ii of the project, which consists of preparing contract plans and acquiring rightofway, has. Crossing the chain of rocks canal and mississippi river on i270. Jan 23, 2011 crossing the chain of rocks canal and mississippi river on i 270. Idot is performing a preliminary engineering study to analyze the replacement of the bridge that carries i270 over the mississippi river, connecting madison county, illinois and st. But the bridge was leased to trailnet, a local trails group, in 1998. The chain of rocks canal bridge has changed quite a bit since 2005, but this is what it used to be like. There was construction equipment and it looked like they were patchingreplacing the. Download original and rehab plans for this historic bridge. I 270 chain of rocks road canal bridge i 270 chain of rocks road canal bridge.
Temporary heavy haul adjacent bulb tee beam bridge csvt project, by. When the 1967 bridge carrying i 270, known as the new chain of rocks bridge, was built, navigation below was of little concern. Jan 20, 2015 crews set charges on the old east bound i 270 canal bridge and then boom it was in the canal. I have been waiting almost 3 years to watch this thing go down and i m glad it went just as planned. Chain of rocksi270 describe issues on the i270 chain of. Just beyond the old i 270 bridges is the chain of rocks canal bridge, built in 1949 as part of the canal project to carry traffic between the illinois mainland and the newly formed island. Bridge blast at chain of rocks canal is on for thursday.
The river is so shallow here that it is impassible to boats most of the year. Design and construction of the i270 bridge over the chain of rocks canal, by. A red buoy has been placed and mariners are urged to exercise caution when transiting the area and to navigate in the center of the channel and avoid overtaking or passing in the vicinity of the bridge. Now its onewayatatime for motor vehicles, and the metal gridwork with. This bridge possesses a strange feature in that it takes a 22 degree turn along the way. Work was complicated by river level fluctuations in the mississippi river as well as the significant traffic on the structure. This bridge is on the new i270 alignment, and it crosses the main channel of the mississippi river. Jan 15, 2020 the road meets the railway tracks 325 miles, and you must access i 270 to cross the tracks at namekoi rd.
This enabled costs to be cut by constructing a bridge on a simple girder. Kaskaskia engineering group, llc keg provided geotechnical and transportation services for the i270 bridge over the chain of rocks canal project in madison county, illinois. We were told that video surveillance has been installed, so it may be a bit better. The free event gives visitors the chance to view bald eagles in the wild from the bridge through spotting scopes. Preserving the historical arlington memorial bridge for future generations, by. The chain of rocks bridge over the mississippi river. The bridge has 2 water intakes jsut to the south of it and is also viewble from the i. I270 chain of rocks road canal bridge american institute.
Or to park on the missouri side, continue on i270 west, over the mississippi river. It has been closed since 1968 after the opening of the i. I have been waiting almost 3 years to watch this thing go down and im glad it went just as planned. Project problem statement the existing bridge carrying i 270 over the mississippi river connecting illinois and missouri is aging and in need of continual repairs. Keg was an integral part of the development of the geometrics for the proposed alignment of i270, as well as the partial reconstruction of the interchange between i270. Be sure to secure your electronics and lock your car, as vandals continue to be a problem. Louis regional transportation plan 2040 by eastwest. The old chain of rocks bridge was part of the renowned route 66 and crosses a scenic stretch of the mississippi river. The i270 bridge that spans the canal is a major commuter link between illinois and missouri. Download the traillink mobile app and take traillink with you. Exit at il route 3, go south to chain of rocks road and follow west to the bridge entrance parking area free. In 1967, the new chain of rocks bridge was built immediately to the bridges north in order to carry i270. Jun 23, 2016 the bridge is directly west of the chain of rocks canal bridge structure and on interstate 270 that goes into illinois from riverview, mo.
Wtop delivers the latest news, traffic and weather information to the washington, d. When the 1967 bridge carrying i270, known as the new chain of rocks bridge, was built, navigation below was of little concern. It was constructed in 1966 to bypass the chain of rocks bridge immediately to the south. When the chain of rocks canal opened, it carried all large navigational traffic around the chain of rocks and other rough spots in the river. The chain of rocks bridge became a part of route 66 in 1936 and was used until 1968 when the opening of the tollfree i270 bridges caused a decline in traffic. The chain of rocks canal is a navigational channel that handles all barge traffic passing through st. Eagle days at the old chain of rocks bridge is produced through a partnership of the missouri department of conservation mdc and illinois department of natural resources idnr, and is sponsored by trailnet. Describe issues on the i270 chain of rocks bridge near st. This article is about the bridge built in 1966 which currently carries i270 traffic.