St. Louis Metro Transit held a ceremony late last week to mark the first full-scale rehabilitation of the 142-year-old Eads Bridge, which links the states of Missouri and Illinois.
The bridge carries cars, pedestrians and MetroLink trains across the Mississippi River, making it the only connection for the MetroLink light-rail system between the two states.
As part of the $48 million project, crews replaced support steel from the 1920s and blasted and repainted the entire substructure. Workers also installed new overhead conductor rail and upgraded MetroLink's rail and ties, according to a press release from Metro Transit officials.
The project received $27 million in federal stimulus funds, as well as a $4.8 million federal grant disbursed by the city of St. Louis. MetroLink trains continued to operate across the bridge during the four-year project.
