An old engraving of Eads Bridge, a road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River connecting the cities of St Louis, Missouri and East St Louis, Illinois, USA. It is from a Victorian mechanical engineering book of the 1880s. The bridge is named after its designer James Buchanan Eads. Opened in 1874, Eads Bridge is now the oldest bridge on the river. Much of the bridge is wrought iron but the primary load-carrying components were made from steel. The road deck now carries vehicles and pedestrians. The former rail deck below now carries the St. Louis MetroLink light rail system.
An old engraving of Eads Bridge, a combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River connecting the cities of St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois, USA. It is from a Victorian mechanical engineering book of the 1880s. The bridge is named after its designer and builder, James Buchanan Eads. Opened in 1874, Eads Bridge was the first bridge erected across the Mississippi south of the Missouri River and is now the oldest bridge on the river. At 520 feet between the piers, the centre arch of Eads Bridge was the longest rigid span ever built at the time of its construction. The foundations for the bridge were the deepest underwater constructions of their time. They were installed using pneumatic caissons, a pioneering application of caisson technology. Much of the metal in the bridge is wrought iron but the primary load-carrying components of the arches were made from steel. It marked the shift from wrought-iron to steel as the usual material for large structures. The road deck has been restored and carries vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The former rail deck below now carries the St. Louis MetroLink light rail system.
Size: 4252px × 2739px
Location: St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois, USA
Photo credit: © M&N / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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