[2] Following a 1906 Congressional bill authorizing the City of St. Louis to build a new Mississippi River Bridge, bonds were issued for an initial amount of $3.5 million.

By late 2014, the vehicle deck on the bridge proper had been removed, and work was progressing onto the western approach.

The MacArthur Bridge continues to be the vital railroad link connecting west to east for a large number of commodities, and bulk cargo.

In 2012, it was the 17th busiest railroad bridge in the United States carrying roughly 40 trains per day.

The project will include replacing the 1912 main span girders and a reconstruction of the Broadway truss in downtown St.

[6] The project will allow longer and wider railroad cars on the approaches, and the new girders will extend the life of the bridge to 2085.