Building the Bridge

The construction of the Eads Bridge during the early 1870s.  Photograph courtesy the Missouri Historical Society.

During the 1860s companies from St. Louis and East St. Louis competed over the right to build a bridge across the Mississippi River.  After much debate and maneuvering, the companies compromised and merged.  Under the direction of James Eads, Andrew Carnegie's Keystone Bridge Company became the owner of the merged company and proceeded with plans to build an arch bridge that would have railroad tracks and a wagon road, or carriage highway, as it was called.

Building the Eads Bridge was an enormous undertaking.  First channel piers that would support the bridge had to be built in the river.  Using water tight chambers called caissons, workers excavated the alluvial river bottom until they reached bedrock.  The channel piers were built on the bedrock.  A tornado in 1871 caused some damage to construction, although it damaged Bloody Island more severely, sweeping the rail yards and lifting twenty-five ton locomotives and scattering them.  By 1872 workers completed the channel piers and the approach arches on either side of the bridge.  Workers extended the arches over the water until the two halves of each arch met in the middle.  During 1873 workers completed the upper level carriage highway and the lower level double railroad tracks.  The bridge opened in 1874 and the first train crossed on June 9, 1874.