Route 66 Meramec River Bridge Starts to be Taken Apart
The historic bridge at Route 66 State Park visitors' center runs over the Meramec River near Eureka, but is not safe for pedestrians, cyclists or vehicles. The bridge was 80 years old this year.
The bridge that originally carried Route 66 over the Meramec River, near what was the city of Times Beach, is starting to be disassembled this week just outside of Eureka. A crew member from XL Contracting, the staff handling the deconstruction of the bridge, told Patch Monday the concrete on the bridge will be cut into slabs and taken off, along with the railing. He said the bridge's beams will be left, in hopes that some entity will want to rebuild the bridge in the next five years. He also said the bridge work was slated to be done by Dec. 14. The Meramec River Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on Sept. 16, 2009, according to Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) records. The Meramec River Route 66 …
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Charlie Roop
8:13 am on Thursday, November 29, 2012
@Don: I'm planning a Route 66 bicycle tour this coming spring (Chicago to Santa Monica). and wanting to stay as close as possible to the old Route - and Eureka and the park were on my list to see. Any suggestions for getting around it? I'm quite sure that I won't be permitted on the I44 bridge. more ›