- 1 min read
- Posted on 07.28.06
On Saturday, August 5th, I’ll be joining GRGD staffers and other public officials on a tour of the construction being done on the old McKinley Bridge.
The old bridge, which has been closed to auto traffic since 2001, will re-open in about a year as a river crossing for cars and as a new spoke of The River Ring regional system of parks, trails, and greenways. The McKinley is the third local historic bridge (along with Chain of Rocks and the Eads) to find a new life.
The McKinley Bridge Bikeway, created from a south lane, will feature a 14-foot-wide biking and pedestrian route spanning nearly 3,000 feet. The new bikeway will connect to the Branch Street Trestle, as well as to on-street bike routes in neighborhoods north of Downtown.
For you history buffs, the McKinley Bridge was completed in 1910 as a train bridge — and is named not for a US president, but for a former president of the Illinois Traction System.
