Welcome!
Thank you for you interest in our "Show the Love" campaign to save our Historic U.S. Route 66 Meramec River Bridge. There is an urgency to gather the support and monies to save this significant structure of our heritage and connection to the past. Your help is needed and greatly appreciated.
What Is This "Show the Love" All About?
The "Show the Love" campaign is a public awareness and preservation initiative to save our Historic U.S. Route 66 Meramec River Bridge. Public support and donations as a result of this campaign, will be used to save the bridge from demolition and preserve our Missouri heritage and connection to the past. This cause provides an opportunity for everyone to make a difference and to ham it up through a display demonstrating the belief and importance of preservation, heritage and the future.
Some lucky locals will be selected to participate in the campaign! Further information will be found below.
Our Rare, Endangered Jewel
Located approximately two miles east of the City of Eureka in St. Louis County, Missouri, along the Historic U.S. Route 66 alignment, the Meramec River Bridge is an example of a Warren deck truss. The Warren deck truss is a rare structural design found in Missouri; only four examples remain standing and is the State of Missouri's solitary three-span rigid deck truss structure. Constructed in 1931-1932, the bridge has transported traffic across the Meramec River at a regionally significant river crossing associated with the former U.S. Route 66 within the Route 66 State Park and is a link between the Visitor Center on the east side and the bulk of the 419-acre park on the west side. This connection is an important link to Missouri's past, the experience of Historic U.S. Route 66 travelers, and functional to the park's 250,000 annual visitors. The bridge also serves as a critical bicycle and pedestrian link in the Meramec Greenway and the City of Eureka trail systems.
The Historic U.S. Route 66 Meramec River Bridge, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, has not experienced any major alterations over the years. However, the bridge has fallen into disrepair. Due to safety, the bridge was recently closed by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), the current owner of the bridge, to all traffic. MoDOT has made the decision that the department cannot invest the money needed to maintain the bridge, due to the continued maintenance of many other major bridges around the region with higher traffic volumes. The bridge is planned to be demolished in February 2012 unless support and monies are raised to show evidence of the public's need and interest in the bridge.
By clicking on the above image, you can download a pdf file of the board for online screen display at a readable size.
A unique experience of the U.S. Route 66 Meramec River Bridge awaits you. Click on the following link for a project animation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0xSVi_PYio
It's A Community Effort
An impressive and growing coalition of diverse organizations is embarking upon this quest to save this truly significant piece of Missouri's past for the betterment of our future. From local residents to national groups, the need to preserve the bridge is clear. We're particularly thankful for the over twenty organizations that are serving as official "consulting partners" to the Section 106 historic preservation review led by MoDOT. These groups are:
Landmarks Association of St. Louis Inc.
Ms. Ruth Keenoy
911 Washington, Suite 170
St. Louis, Missouri 63111
Ms. Susan Trautman, Executive Director
6174A Delmar Boulevard
St. Louis, Missouri 63112
Ms. Pat Knight
22 Dreyer Avenue
Eureka, Missouri 63025
Eureka Historical Society
Ms. Evelyn Allen
113 Hickory Hill Drive
Eureka, Missouri 63025
Ms. Jerany Jackson, ASLA, MBA
2826 South Ingram Mill
Springfield, Missouri 65804
Ms. Kitty Henderson, Executive Director
P.O. Box 66245
Austin, Texas 78766
Meramec River Recreation Association
Mr. Dennis Hogan
550 Weidman Road, Queeny Park
Ballwin, Missouri 63011
Dr. Susan Flader
P.O. Box 30036
Columbia, Missouri 65205
Missouri Parks and Recreation Association
Ms. Jan Neitzer
2018 Williams Street
Jefferson City, Missouri 65109
National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program
Ms. Kaisa Barthuli. Cultural Resources Specialist
P.O. Box 728
Sante Fe, New Mexico 87504
Ms. Brittany Barton, Project Manager
P.O. Box 1468
Ballwin, Missouri 63022
The Route 66 Association of Missouri
Mr. Tommy Pike, Association President
1602 East Dale Street
Springfield, Missouri 65803
Mr. Esley Hamilton
41 South Central Avenue
Clayton, Missouri 63105
Mr. John Regenbogen, Executive Director
3963 Wyoming Street
St. Louis, Missouri 63103
Ms. Ann Mack
1533 Washington Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri 63103
Mr. Kip Welborn
3947 Russell
St. Louis, Missouri 63110
Mr. Bill Hart
P.O. Box 1715
Columbia, Missouri 65201
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Ms. Jennifer Sandy, Program Officer of Midwest Office
53 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 350
Chicago, Illinois 60604
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Ms. Carol Legard
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 803
Washington, DC 20004
Mr. Craig Sabo
P.O. Box 125
Eureka, Missouri 63025
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Mr. Don Fink, Route 66/Castlewood Management Unit
97 North Outer Road, Suite 1
Eureka, Missouri 63025
This website is made possible in part by a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation
