The main spans of the MacArthur Bridge are three massive Pennsylvania Through Truss spans. These three spans are what make up the river spans, and are separate from the MacArthur Bridge Approach Viaducts.
These main spans each are 16-Panel, pin connected Pennsylvania Through Trusses with massive chords. They were designed to carry an upper deck of roadway traffic, which has been removed. All three of the spans are of equal length, at 677 Feet.
These spans are rested on large stone block piers. These piers are unusual that they were built later in the 20th century, and yet were still constructed of stone.
These main spans are considered highly significant. At nearly 700 feet long; they represent a unique type of engineering which was prevalent in the early 20th century. The total height of the spans is nearly 100 feet.
The main spans of the bridge, which are the focal point of this page were completed by 1912. However, they would sit unused for an additional 5 years until 1917, when they finally opened.
Despite the loss of the road deck, this bridge should be considered a very significant piece of American Engineering. As a result, the author has ranked this section of the MacArthur Bridge as highly significant.
The photo above is an overview. More photos to come soon. This bridge proved extremely difficult to document, due to clutter along the riverbank on the Missouri side. The photo below is an example of a typical series of bracings.
| Main Spans | MacArthur Bridge | ||
| Illinois Approaches | MacArthur Approach Viaduct #2 | MacArthur Approach Viaduct #4 | MacArthur Approach Viaduct #5 |
| Missouri Approaches | MacArthur Approach Viaduct #1 | MacArthur Approach Viaduct #3 |
| Upstream | Eads Bridge |
| Downstream | Thebes Bridge |
