What’s Missouri’s Longest Bridge? Don’t Even Try to Drive Over It

It's one of the most historic structures in Missouri dating back more than 100 years and you shouldn't go there. Yes, it is the longest bridge in Missouri history, but don't even think of trying to drive over it.

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I had honestly forgotten about this bridge spanning the Mississippi River in Missouri until I saw A-Z Animals mention it as they documented the 8 longest bridges in Missouri. Wikipedia shared some interesting history about this structure in Missouri saying it was approved by Congress in 1906, but wasn't completed and opened until 1917 because they ran out of money.

What is the longest bridge in Missouri history?

It's the MacArthur Bridge connecting St. Louis, Missouri to East St. Louis, Illinois. It was originally known to locals as the "Free Bridge" which is funny because that became not true in 1932 when toll booths were added.

The MacArthur Bridge is the length of more than 2 football fields spanning 677 feet in total.

It's important that you don't daydream about driving over this historic Missouri bridge as it was closed to traffic back in 1981. It is accessible by foot, but I wouldn't advise it as it's now located in a very high crime part of St. Louis.

There is a bit of rebirth happening at the old MacArthur bridge though. There's a $57 million dollar renovation that began last year replacing the original girders and trying to extend the life of the railroad part of the bridge at least until the year 2085.