Champ Clark Bridge (1928): Difference between revisions

Champ Clark Bridge
Champ Clark Bridge
	The Champ Clark Bridge looking east
Coordinates	39°27′24″N 91°02′52″W / 39.45667°N 91.04778°W
Carries	US 54
Crosses	Mississippi River
Locale	Louisiana, Missouri / Atlas Township, Pike County, Illinois
Maintained by	Missouri Department of Transportation
Characteristics
Design	Truss bridge
Total length	2,286 feet (697 m)
Width	20 feet (6 m)
Longest span	418 feet (127 m)
History
Opened	June 9, 1928
Closed	August 3, 2019
Statistics
Daily traffic	3,900
Location

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History

The Champ Clark Bridge was a five-span truss bridge over the Mississippi River connecting Louisiana, Missouri with the state of Illinois. It was formerly a toll bridge.^[2]

The bridge was named after James Beauchamp Clark, a former Speaker of the House from Bowling Green, Missouri. Clark served as Speaker from 1911 to 1919.

During construction, a span of the bridge collapsed on September 6, 1927 due to faulty false work. The second span from the Missouri shore collapsed without warning just after quitting time. Two workmen were on still the span resulting in one fatality and one serious injury. This span collapse caused the failure of the first company formed to finance construction of the bridge, delaying completion for at least one year.

The bridge was narrow, allowing for two lanes of traffic on a 20 feet (6 m) deck. The bridge, originally painted silver, was repainted deep green in 1983, and repaired in 1999. In 2005, the Missouri Department of Transportation again rehabbed and repainted the bridge, replacing the green color of the bridge with gray. The bridge is 2,286.4 feet (697 m) in length. The span over the main channel of the Mississippi River is 418.5 feet (128 m) in length.

In 2013, MoDOT heightened restrictions on oversized loads on the bridge, citing its age and width. Pull-off areas were constructed, and all wide/oversized loads were required to pull over and call the Louisiana police department for an escort. In 2014, a legal weight limit of 40 tons was put into place and the speed limit was reduced to 30 mph, due to accelerated deterioration. Until its replacement bridge opened, MoDOT affirmed that the bridge was safe to travel so long as motorists complied with the posted weight and speed limits.

Replacement

In 2015, MoDOT and IDOT were jointly awarded a federal TIGER grant to replace the bridgereduce the cost to each state and Illinois committed its share. In 2016, MoDOT announced inclusion of funding for its portion of the bridge replacement cost in its draft five-year plan. The new bridge retained the name of the old span.^[3] The new bridge opened on August 3, 2019. The old bridge will be demolished in late 2019.^[4]

References

^ "Attend the Grand Opening of the Champ Clark Bridge and the Big Celebration". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. May 27, 1928. p. 22. Retrieved May 6, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Map of Missouri Showing State Road System Archived 2012-09-16 at the Wayback Machine, January 1, 1930
^ http://www.louisianapressjournal.com/modot-official-confirms-new-champ-clark-bridge/
^ https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/new-champ-clark-bridge-at-louisiana-mo-opens/article_f68f9fcd-8c5f-59ca-a227-4297329b2a7a.html

Missouri Department of Transportation. "Champ Clark Bridge". 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2006.
Baughn, James et al. "Historic Bridges of the Midwest | Champ Clark Bridge |Pike County, Missouri and Pike County, Illinois". 2006. Retrieved January 30, 2006.
Weeks, John. "Champ Clark Bridge, Louisiana, MO". 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2006.
KHQA TV, Quincy, IL [1] 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012
Louisiana Press-Journal [2] 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2016

Overhead view from a Louisiana city park on top of the bluffs.
Another view looking east.
The overhead plaque.

[1] "Attend the Grand Opening of the Champ Clark Bridge and the Big Celebration". The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. May 27, 1928. p. 22. Retrieved May 6, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.

[2] Map of Missouri Showing State Road System Archived 2012-09-16 at the Wayback Machine, January 1, 1930

[3] ttp://www.louisianapressjournal.com/modot-official-confirms-new-champ-clark-bridge/

[4] ttps://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/new-champ-clark-bridge-at-louisiana-mo-opens/article_f68f9fcd-8c5f-59ca-a227-4297329b2a7a.html

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 |official_name=
 |also_known_as=
-|carries= 2 lanes of {{jct|country=USA|US|54}}
+|carries= {{jct|country=USA|US|54}}
 |crosses= [[Mississippi River]]
 |locale= [[Louisiana, Missouri]] / [[Atlas Township, Pike County, Illinois]]
@@ Line 19: / Line 19: @@
 |traffic= 3,900
 |open=June 9, 1928<ref>{{cite news |title=Attend the Grand Opening of the Champ Clark Bridge and the Big Celebration |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31286333/clark_bridge_may_27_1928/ |accessdate=May 6, 2019 |work=The Pantagraph |date=May 27, 1928 |location=[[Bloomington, Illinois]] |page=22|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref>
-|closed=
+|closed=August 3, 2019
 |toll=
 |map_cue=
@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 }}
+==History==
-The '''Champ Clark Bridge''' is a five-span [[truss bridge]] over the [[Mississippi River]] connecting [[Louisiana, Missouri]] with the state of [[Illinois]]. It carries [[U.S. Route 54]] northeast to [[Pittsfield, Illinois]], where U.S. 54 terminates. It was formerly a [[toll bridge]].<ref>[http://www.modot.org/newsandinfo/publications/documents/1930.pdf Map of Missouri Showing State Road System] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916165545/http://www.modot.org/newsandinfo/publications/documents/1930.pdf |date=2012-09-16 }}, January 1, 1930</ref>
+The '''Champ Clark Bridge''' was a five-span [[truss bridge]] over the [[Mississippi River]] connecting [[Louisiana, Missouri]] with the state of [[Illinois]]. It was formerly a [[toll bridge]].<ref>[http://www.modot.org/newsandinfo/publications/documents/1930.pdf Map of Missouri Showing State Road System] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916165545/http://www.modot.org/newsandinfo/publications/documents/1930.pdf |date=2012-09-16 }}, January 1, 1930</ref>
-The bridge is named after [[James Beauchamp Clark]], a former [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] from [[Bowling Green, Missouri]]. Clark served as Speaker from 1911 to 1919.
+The bridge was named after [[James Beauchamp Clark]], a former [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] from [[Bowling Green, Missouri]]. Clark served as Speaker from 1911 to 1919.
 During construction, a span of the bridge collapsed on September 6, 1927 due to faulty false work. The second span from the Missouri shore collapsed without warning just after quitting time. Two workmen were on still the span resulting in one fatality and one serious injury. This span collapse caused the failure of the first company formed to finance construction of the bridge, delaying completion for at least one year.
-The bridge is narrow, allowing for two lanes of traffic on a {{convert|20|ft|m|0}} deck. The bridge, originally painted silver, was repainted deep green in 1983, and repaired in 1999. In 2005, the Missouri Department of Transportation again rehabbed and repainted the bridge, replacing the green color of the bridge with gray. The bridge is 2,286.4 feet (697 m) in length. The span over the main channel of the Mississippi River is 418.5 feet (128 m) in length.
+The bridge was narrow, allowing for two lanes of traffic on a {{convert|20|ft|m|0}} deck. The bridge, originally painted silver, was repainted deep green in 1983, and repaired in 1999. In 2005, the Missouri Department of Transportation again rehabbed and repainted the bridge, replacing the green color of the bridge with gray. The bridge is 2,286.4 feet (697 m) in length. The span over the main channel of the Mississippi River is 418.5 feet (128 m) in length.
+In 2013, MoDOT heightened restrictions on oversized loads on the bridge, citing its age and width. Pull-off areas were constructed, and all wide/oversized loads were required to pull over and call the Louisiana police department for an escort. In 2014, a legal weight limit of 40 tons was put into place and the speed limit was reduced to 30 mph, due to accelerated deterioration. Until its replacement bridge opened, MoDOT affirmed that the bridge was safe to travel so long as motorists complied with the posted weight and speed limits.
-The Missouri Department of Transportation announced a tentative closing schedule for repairs to the Champ Clark Bridge in 2012. The repairs were deemed necessary to permanently fix damage inflicted on the structure in December 2011 where a vehicle struck the through-truss section of the bridge. Repairs included removal and replacement of rivets, installation of supports & new steel. The bridge was to be closed for approximately a week.
+==Replacement==
-In 2013, MoDOT and IDOT heightened its restrictions on oversized loads on the bridge, citing its age and width. Pull-off areas were constructed, and all wide/oversized loads must pull over and call the Louisiana, MO police department for an escort. The Speed Limit was also reduced to 30&nbsp;mph. In 2014, a legal weight limit of 40 tons being put into place, due to accelerated deterioration. MoDOT affirms that the bridge is safe to travel so long as motorists comply with the weight and speed limits.
+In 2015, MoDOT and IDOT were jointly awarded a federal TIGER grant to replace the bridgereduce the cost to each state and Illinois committed its share. In 2016, MoDOT announced inclusion of funding for its portion of the bridge replacement cost in its draft five-year plan. The new bridge retained the name of the old span.<ref>http://www.louisianapressjournal.com/modot-official-confirms-new-champ-clark-bridge/</ref> The new bridge opened on August 3, 2019. The old bridge will be demolished in late 2019.<ref>https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/new-champ-clark-bridge-at-louisiana-mo-opens/article_f68f9fcd-8c5f-59ca-a227-4297329b2a7a.html</ref>
-Plans are in place to replace the bridge.  In 2015, MoDOT and IDOT were jointly awarded a federal TIGER grant to reduce the cost to each state and Illinois committed its share. In 2016, MoDOT announced inclusion of funding for its portion of the bridge replacement cost in its draft five-year plan, subject to a final vote in July. The new bridge is expected to retain the name of the current span.<ref>http://www.louisianapressjournal.com/modot-official-confirms-new-champ-clark-bridge/</ref>
 ==See also==
@@ Line 67: / Line 67: @@
 |structure       = Crossings
 |place           = [[Mississippi River]]
-|bridge          = Champ Clark Bridge
+|bridge          = Champ Clark Bridge (1928)
-|bridge signs    = [[Image:US 54.svg|20px]]
+|bridge signs    = Former [[Image:US 54.svg|20px]]
-|upstream        = [[Mark Twain Memorial Bridge]]
+|upstream        = [[Champ Clark Bridge]]
-|upstream signs  = [[Image:I-72.svg|20px]] [[Image:US 36.svg|20px]]
+|upstream signs  = Current [[Image:US 54.svg|20px]]
 |downstream      = [[Louisiana Rail Bridge]]
 |downstream signs = ''Kansas City Southern Railway''
@@ Line 87: / Line 87: @@
 [[Category:Former toll bridges in Missouri]]
 [[Category:1928 establishments in the United States]]
+[[Category:2019 disestablishments in the United States]]
 [[Category:Steel bridges in the United States]]
 [[Category:Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States]]