Connecting St. Louis (Missouri) and East St. Louis (Illinois), the Eads Bridge is a combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River, named for its designer and builder, James B. Eads. When completed in 1874, it was the longest arch bridge in the world, with an overall length of 1,964m. The ribbed steel arch spans were considered daring, as was the use of steel as a primary structural material. It was also the first bridge built using cantilever support methods exclusively, and one of the first to make use of pneumatic caissons.
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