In the 21st century, it is considered an important contributor to satisfying the transportation needs of the region and enhancing the ambiance of the historic St. Louis riverfront.

Eventually, ownership was transferred dually to the Missouri and Illinois departments of transportation.

The bridge was renamed after Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, after the national civil rights leader's April 1968 assassination in Memphis, Tennessee.

A bi-state project for about $24 million to renovate the bridge, at the behest of local civic and government leaders, was carried out in the late 1980s.

On October 12, 2009, the bridge was closed in order to reduce the old four-lane configuration down to three wider lanes, install a waterproofing membrane over the bridge surface,[4] and to install a concrete barrier to separate eastbound traffic from westbound.