TODAY’S AGENDA

“THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER” by F.S. Key and J.S. Smith | arr. D. Burke East St. Louis Senior High School Marching Flyer Band John C. Barnes, Band Director University City High School “Golden Explosion” Marching Band Daniel Shavers, Band Director | Rob Giles, Assistant Band Director INTRODUCTION At the dedication of the bridge in 1874, James Eads declared that the bridge would endure John Nations President and CEO, Bi-State Development just so long as it continues to be REMARKS useful to the people that come after us David Dietzel —Howard Miller, “The Eads Bridge” Board Chairman, Bi-State Development Ray Friem BRIDGE FACTS Executive Director, Metro Transit • Length: 4,600 feet Mokhtee Ahmad • Width: 54 feet, 4 inches Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration • Designed by Emeka Jackson-Hicks • Dedicated on July 4, 1874 Mayor, City of East St. Louis, Illinois • Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 • Added to National Register of Historic Places in 1966 Mark Kern St. Clair County, Illinois Board Chairman, REHABILITATION PROJECT FACTS Mike Bost • First full-scale rehabilitation of the truss and U.S. Representative, 12th Congressional District, Illinois superstructure of the 142-year old Eads Bridge William ‘Lacy’ Clay • The project team installed more than 580 tons of U.S. Representative, 1st Congressional District, steel and applied 7,500 gallons of protective coating Richard Durbin during the rehabilitation of the bridge U.S. Senator, Illinois • Over 1,200 individual structural repairs were made • Extended the life of the bridge by 75 years INCLUDING • All work was completed while also keeping the Special tours of the Eads Bridge rail deck on MetroLink bridge open to MetroLink, vehicle and river traffic Food and beverages available for purchase from local food trucks HISTORY

A true engineering marvel, the Eads Bridge is the oldest bridge still in operation over the . It was originally known as the St. Louis Bridge, later renamed after its designer, the self-taught engineer James B. Eads. The first cornerstone of the Eads Bridge was laid in 1868 and When developing the design of the bridge, Eads faced a number construction was completed in 1874, with General William Tecumseh of challenges due to restrictions in place at the time, including that Sherman driving in the last spike to officially open the bridge on July 4, the bridge could not be made of wood, could not be a drawbridge 1874. The Eads Bridge was the largest bridge ever constructed up to or , and had to be tall and wide enough to that time, with three spans each more than 500 feet long. It required accommodate all types of river traffic. To address these challenges, Eads more than 5,500 tons of steel and wrought iron to complete. developed a design noteworthy for a number of construction firsts: Today, ownership of the bridge is shared by the City of St. Louis • The first bridge, and one of the first structures in the country of any and Bi-State Development. kind, to use steel as a primary construction component • The first bridge in the U.S. to employ pneumatic caissons • The first bridge built entirely using cantilever construction methods, which kept the river open for commerce • The first bridge in the U.S. to use hollow tubular chord members The rehabilitation work performed has extended the life of the Eads REHABILITATION Bridge for at least another 75 years.

The project team also completely replaced the MetroLink structural The Eads Bridge Rehabilitation Project began in 2012, the first full-scale flooring system, ties and rails on the bridge, and replaced messenger rehabilitation of the bridge since its opening in 1874. and contact wires with new overhead conductor rail, making Metro one of the first transit systems in the nation to use this state-of-the-art In preparation for the project, a new rail interlocking was installed just technology to power MetroLink more efficiently and reliably. west of the East Riverfront MetroLink Station in 2011, which would allow both eastbound and westbound MetroLink trains to use the The Eads Bridge Rehabilitation Project was completed in 2016, and both same track on one side of the Eads Bridge, while crews could work on MetroLink tracks returned to service on June 13, 2016—the first time the other side. With careful planning and management, MetroLink was both tracks were in regular operation over the Eads Bridge since 2012. able to operate trains across the bridge, on schedule, throughout the four-year rehabilitation project. MetroLink riders were able to use the The total cost of the Eads Bridge Rehabilitation Project was $48 million. system without any significant delays, and without the hardship and Federal funds supported 91 percent of the total project cost, with $27 inconvenience of having to use bus shuttles to detour around the Eads million from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funds. The Bridge for the duration of the project. City of St. Louis, which co-owns the bridge with Bi-State Development, contributed a $4.8 million federal grant toward the project, During the rehabilitation of the Eads Bridge, crews installed more than and remaining costs are supported by local sales tax. 1,167,000 pounds of steel to replace struts, bracing and other support steel that dated back to the 1880s. As many as nine layers of paint, rust and corrosion were blasted off of the bridge down to the bare metal inside of an environmental containment system that protected the air, the river, the workers, and people traveling across the bridge from contaminants. To replace it, more than 7,500 gallons of a multilayer anti-corrosion coating were applied to the bridge. In total, crews made about 1,200 structural repairs to the bridge, as well as substantial reconstruction of the concrete that supports the road deck. CONTRACTOR

K. Bates Steel Services | Kelly-Hill Company | Thomas Industrial Coatings Western Waterproofing Company | Wissehr Electrical Contractors

DESIGN ENGINEER

ABNA Engineering | Gonzalez Engineering | KTA-Tator

PROJECT MANAGEMENT OVERSIGHT