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.

The bridge was then named for French Canadian fur trader and hunter Louis Blanchette, who founded St. Charles as a post along the Missouri River; the village was the first European settlement along this waterway.

During the closure, westbound traffic was diverted to the freeway's east side, for three narrow lanes in each direction.

The westbound bridge's old superstructure was demolished in two explosions, with the first taking place on November 18, 2012.