Poplar Street Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Poplar Street Bridge, officially the Bernard F. Dickmann Bridge, completed in 1967, is a 647 feet (197.2 m) long (197m) deck girder bridge
across the Mississippi River
between St. Louis, Missouri
and East St. Louis, Illinois
. The bridge arrives on the Missouri shore line just south of the Gateway Arch
.
Planned just before construction of the Arch, the builders in 1959 were to request that 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) of the Gateway Arch property be turned over from the National Park Service
for the bridge. The request generated enormous controversy and ultimately 2.5 acres (10,117.2 m²) of the Jefferson Expansion National Memorial (which included all of the original platted area of St. Louis when it was acquired in the 1930s and 1940s) was given to the bridge.
Three Interstate
s and a U.S. Route cross the entire bridge and one, Interstate 44
, is marked only on the Missouri
half, the only quad route concurrency of interstate highways in existence. It is crossed by approximately 100,000 vehicles daily, making it the second most heavily used bridge on the river, after the I-94 Dartmouth Bridge in Minneapolis Minnesota. Some of that load is intended to be diverted to the New Mississippi River Bridge
.
Interstate 55
, Interstate 64
, Interstate 70
, and U.S. Route 40
cross the Mississippi on the Poplar Street bridge. U.S. Route 66
was also concurrent over this bridge until 1979, and U.S. 50 was routed over it before the interstates were constructed. According to current construction plans, I-70 will be realigned to cross the river once the New Mississippi River Bridge
is completed by 2015.
The east end of the bridge crosses the south end of what was Bloody Island which Robert E. Lee
connected to the mainland of Illinois with landfill
in the 1850s. During its island days several Missouri politicians fought duels there. What was Bloody Island is now a train yard.
Although the bridge's official name honors former St. Louis mayor Bernard F. Dickmann
, it is most-commonly referred to as the Poplar Street Bridge, with many St. Louisans unaware of its official name. The Missouri end of the bridge sits over Poplar Street, and the media started referring to it by that name long before the bridge opened.
Girder bridge
A girder bridge, in general, is a bridge built of girders placed on bridge abutments and foundation piers. In turn, a bridge deck is built on top of the girders in order to carry traffic. There are several different subtypes of girder bridges:...
across the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
between St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
and East St. Louis, Illinois
East St. Louis, Illinois
East St. Louis is a city located in St. Clair County, Illinois, USA, directly across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 27,006, less than one-third of its peak of 82,366 in 1950...
. The bridge arrives on the Missouri shore line just south of the Gateway Arch
Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch, or Gateway to the West, is an arch that is the centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial in St. Louis, Missouri. It was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States...
.
Planned just before construction of the Arch, the builders in 1959 were to request that 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) of the Gateway Arch property be turned over from the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
for the bridge. The request generated enormous controversy and ultimately 2.5 acres (10,117.2 m²) of the Jefferson Expansion National Memorial (which included all of the original platted area of St. Louis when it was acquired in the 1930s and 1940s) was given to the bridge.
Three Interstate
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, , is a network of limited-access roads including freeways, highways, and expressways forming part of the National Highway System of the United States of America...
s and a U.S. Route cross the entire bridge and one, Interstate 44
Interstate 44
Interstate 44 is a major highway in the central United States. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, Texas at a concurrency with US 277, US 281 and US 287; its eastern terminus is at the Illinois state line on the Poplar Street Bridge over the Mississippi River in St...
, is marked only on the Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
half, the only quad route concurrency of interstate highways in existence. It is crossed by approximately 100,000 vehicles daily, making it the second most heavily used bridge on the river, after the I-94 Dartmouth Bridge in Minneapolis Minnesota. Some of that load is intended to be diverted to the New Mississippi River Bridge
New Mississippi River Bridge
The New Mississippi River Bridge is a bridge, currently under construction, which will eventually cross the Mississippi River, connecting St. Clair County, Illinois to the city of St. Louis, Missouri...
.
Interstate 55
Interstate 55
Interstate 55 is an Interstate Highway in the central United States. Its odd number indicates that it is a north–south Interstate Highway. I-55 goes from LaPlace, Louisiana at Interstate 10 to Chicago at U.S. Route 41 , at McCormick Place. A common nickname for the highway is "double...
, Interstate 64
Interstate 64
Interstate 64 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. 40, and U.S. 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange with I-264 and I-664 at Bowers Hill in Chesapeake, Virginia. As I-64 is concurrent with...
, Interstate 70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
, and U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 is an east–west United States highway. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, U.S. 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the original 1920s U.S. Highways, and its first termini were San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey...
cross the Mississippi on the Poplar Street bridge. U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
was also concurrent over this bridge until 1979, and U.S. 50 was routed over it before the interstates were constructed. According to current construction plans, I-70 will be realigned to cross the river once the New Mississippi River Bridge
New Mississippi River Bridge
The New Mississippi River Bridge is a bridge, currently under construction, which will eventually cross the Mississippi River, connecting St. Clair County, Illinois to the city of St. Louis, Missouri...
is completed by 2015.
The east end of the bridge crosses the south end of what was Bloody Island which Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
connected to the mainland of Illinois with landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
in the 1850s. During its island days several Missouri politicians fought duels there. What was Bloody Island is now a train yard.
Although the bridge's official name honors former St. Louis mayor Bernard F. Dickmann
Bernard F. Dickmann
Bernard Francis Dickmann was the thirty-fourth mayor of St. Louis .-Biography:...
, it is most-commonly referred to as the Poplar Street Bridge, with many St. Louisans unaware of its official name. The Missouri end of the bridge sits over Poplar Street, and the media started referring to it by that name long before the bridge opened.