Route 66 News recently received a quick note from Kyle Anderson of the Illinois Department of Transportation, informing us that the scheduled Nov. 10 reopening of the McKinley Bridge that connects Venice, Ill., to St. Louis has been delayed.
Anderson said an official reopening hasn’t been set, but it will be a week or two later than the initial tentative date.
So it’s likely the bridge will be reopened to traffic before Thanksgiving.
The McKinley Bridge, built in 1910, was closed to traffic in 2001 because of deterioration. The state of Illinois has spent millions of dollars to rehab the bridge. It carried Route 66 over the Mississippi River in one of the St. Louis region’s many alignments.
The bridge was a toll bridge for many years. When it reopens, it will be a free bridge.
UPDATE: Opening ceremony for bridge set for Nov. 17. See story here.
when will the bridge be open or will it?????
Mid-December at the latest, Todd.