Blanchette Memorial Bridge
Blanchette Memorial Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°45′54″N 90°28′55″W / 38.765°N 90.482°W |
| Carries | 10 lanes of I-70 |
| Crosses | Missouri River |
| Locale | St. Louis County and St. Charles County in Missouri |
| Maintained by | Missouri Department of Transportation |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Twin cantilever bridges |
| Total length | 1,244 m (4,083 ft) |
| Width | Westbound: 18.3 m (60 ft) Eastbound: 20.7 m (68 ft) |
| Longest span | 146.3 m (480 ft) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1958-1959 (original; since converted westbound) 1978-1979 (eastbound) |
| Rebuilt | 2013 (westbound) |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 153,161 (2008) |
| Location | |
Interactive map of Blanchette Memorial Bridge | |
The Blanchette Memorial Bridge carries Interstate 70 across the Missouri River between St. Louis County and St. Charles County, Missouri. It is formed from a pair of twin cantilever bridges with the now westbound span opened in 1959 and eastbound bridge opened in 1979. At the bridge's crossing, the Missouri River reaches an average depth of 45 feet. It is the area's busiest bridge, handling an average of 165,000 vehicle transits per day. Construction of the first interstate highway project (under provisions of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956) started west of the bridge's present location.
A sign commemorating the site of the nation's first interstate project stands next to Interstate 70 just east of the Missouri Route 94/First Capitol Drive overpass.