The Chain-Of-Rocks Bridge / Old U.S. Route 66
The newly opened Chain-of-Rocks bridge is to be the centerpiece of the Confluence Greenway, a network of trails in the area of the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, both in Missouri and Illinois. This is the only truly bicycle-friendly crossing of the Mississippi River within several hundred miles. The bridge is owned and maintained by Trailnet Inc., and is open weekends from 9:00 A.M. till 5:00 P.M..
Vendors selling fresh produce and snack items greet you as you cross the parking lot to the bridge. Friendly volunteers greet you with cold water and information as you step onto the bridge.
As you walk, skate, or ride across the bridge, the view is of the I-270 bridge to the north, and the low dam that gives the bridge its name, with the skyline of downtown St. Louis in the distance, featuring the Gateway Arch, to south.
As part of the Confluence Greenway, plans are to connect the bridge with the new St. Louis Riverfront Trail, which now ends a little over a mile to the south, and the 4,000 plus acre Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area at the actual confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers several miles to the north, as well as connecting with trails on the Illinois side of the river. In July 2000 work was started on the Levee Trail on the Illinois side of the River.
