Senator Roy Blunt Bridge
The Senator Roy Blunt Bridge is a twin continuous through arch truss bridge over the Missouri River at Jefferson City, Missouri, which carry U.S. Routes 54 (US 54) and 63 between Cole County and Callaway County. Before being officially named for former Missouri Senator Roy Blunt in 2022, the bridge was known as the Jefferson City Bridge.[1]
Senator Roy Blunt Bridge | |
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 Senator Roy Blunt Bridge from northwest bank. The Missouri State Capitol in background. | |
| Coordinates | 38°35′15″N 92°10′44″W |
| Carries |   US 54 / US 63 |
| Crosses | Missouri River |
| Locale | Jefferson City, Missouri |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Twin Trussed Arch Spans |
| Total length | 942.7m |
| Width | 11.5m |
| Height | 11.5m |
| Longest span | 195m |
| History | |
| Opened | August 1955 |
| Replaces | 1896 Bridge |
| Location | |
As of 2018, the combined bridges see approximately 29,000 vehicle traversals per day.
Current bridges
The present-day westbound bridge was designed by Sverdrup & Parcel of St. Louis in 1953 and fabricated by Stupp Brokers Bridge & Iron Company. It opened in 1955 and carried both directions of travel, with a reversible center lane which alternated direction based on commuter traffic volumes.
Due to increasing traffic in the area (particularly during rush hours) a second twin structure was opened in 1991 and carries three lanes of eastbound traffic. The 1955 bridge was then extensively rehabilitated and restriped to carry three lanes of westbound traffic. The 1991 bridge retained the same basic design of the 1955 structure.
The eastbound bridge has a cantilevered bicycle and pedestrian lane, opened in April 2011. It is used in both directions for river viewing and access to the Katy Trail State Park. A city-maintained extension of the Katy (following a former KATY railroad spur) connects to the North Jefferson trailhead.
More recently, the 1955 bridge was repainted and rehabilitated in 2015, and the 1991 bridge was rehabilitated in 2021.
1896 Bridge
The original bridge was built in 1896 and had three spans and was downstream of the current bridges. It had a single column in the middle of the river that rotated 90° to allow boat traffic to pass (the rotation could disrupt traffic for 45 minutes). The bridge was torn down in 1958 after the present-day westbound structure opened. The main span was 134.1 metres (440 ft). The diameter of the pivot pier was 6.7 metres (22 ft). The pillars at the south entrance to the bridge are still in place, now a part of Rotary Park, overlooking the river at the end of Bolivar Street.
See also
References
Crossings of the Missouri River | ||||
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