Old Chain of Rocks Bridge may be site for casino

I missed this development in the St. Louis area, but longtime St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bill McClellan writes about the possibility of a casino being built at the foot of the west side of the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which once carried Route 66 and now is used as a pedestrian and bicycle trail. … Continue reading Old Chain of Rocks Bridge may be site for casino

Aldermen urge saving or replacement of bridge

Aldermen for the City of Eureka, Mo., passed a resolution on Tuesday urging the repair or replacement of the Meramec River Route 66 Bridge at Route 66 State Park, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Missouri Department of Transportation closed the historic but deteriorating bridge in late 2009 because of safety concerns. Park visitors … Continue reading Aldermen urge saving or replacement of bridge

Glimmer of hope over Route 66 bridge

St. Louis Route 66 enthusiast Joe Sonderman said he felt considerably more optimistic about the fate of the deteriorating Meramec River-Route 66 Bridge near Eureka, Mo., after a public hearing Wednesday with Missouri Department of Transportation officials and Route 66 stakeholders. Sonderman said on his Facebook account later that night: I have to say after … Continue reading Glimmer of hope over Route 66 bridge

Missouri holds new meeting for Route 66 bridge

(Note: see time correction below) Norma Bolin, who's best-known for her "Route 66 St. Louis Cookbook" and the recently released "Route 66 St. Louis," dropped me a note over the weekend to let me know that the Missouri Department of Transportation made a last-minute change on a public meeting regarding the Route 66 bridge at … Continue reading Missouri holds new meeting for Route 66 bridge

Funding application for replacing Mojave bridges sent today

San Bernardino County is filing an application today with the U.S. Department of Transportation for a grant to rebuild several dozen wooden trestle bridges in California's Mojave Desert. The Daily Press in Victorville reported yesterday that the county was applying for a $52 million grant to replace 130 of those bridges. But the Redlands Daily … Continue reading Funding application for replacing Mojave bridges sent today

County seeks grant to restore wooden Route 66 bridges

The Desert Dispatch reports that San Bernardino County in California is seeking a federal grant to restore old bridges on the National Old Trails Road -- an early alignment of Route 66. The county applied for a $52 million stimulus grant to replace 130 bridges that were built between 1929 and 1931 on the old … Continue reading County seeks grant to restore wooden Route 66 bridges

Trying TV coverage to boost a bridge rehab

The Pulaski County Daily and Waynesville Daily Guide published stories within days of each other about Pulaski County's ongoing efforts to repair the decaying Devil's Elbow Bridge in the Route 66 hamlet of Devil's Elbow, Mo. The gist of it is: Jerry Plunkett, a local military contractor, is looking for a variety of ways to rehabilitate … Continue reading Trying TV coverage to boost a bridge rehab

Bye bye, bridge

The 81-year-old Pacific Electric Railway bridge that goes over Foothill Boulevard (aka Route 66) in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., will be dismantled starting Sunday, reported the Contra Costa Times. Two cranes will remove the bridge and place it on the north side of Foothill Boulevard, where workers will spend the next two weeks removing paint and … Continue reading Bye bye, bridge

Watching the bridge

KOTV in Tulsa posted an interesting story about the so-called Twin Bridges on Route 66 near Catoosa, Okla., and how the Route 66 community worldwide is watching closely to what happens to one of the dilapidated spans. But first, there is a glaring error in the story. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation wants to replace … Continue reading Watching the bridge

The story of the 11th Street Bridge

In less than two minutes, this video by the Journal-Record explains the history and significance of the 11th Street Bridge in Tulsa, now known as the Cyrus Avery Route 66 Memorial Bridge: