Missouri Route 799

Martin Luther King Bridge
MLK bridge from Laclede's Landing
Coordinates	38°37′52″N 90°10′46″W / 38.63111°N 90.17944°W / 38.63111; -90.17944
Carries	3 lanes (1 westbound and 2 eastbound) of Route 799
Crosses	Mississippi River
Locale	St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois
Other name(s)	Veterans Bridge
Maintained by	MoDOT, IDOT
Characteristics
Design	Cantilever bridge
Total length	4,009 ft (1,222 m)
Width	40 ft (12 m)
Longest span	962 ft (293 m)
Clearance above	19.4 ft (6 m)
Clearance below	98 ft (30 m)
History
Opened	1951; 66 years ago (1951)
Statistics
Daily traffic	12,700 (2014)

The Martin Luther King Bridge (formerly known as the Veterans Bridge) in St. Louis, Missouri, is a cantilever truss bridge of about 4,000 feet (1,200 m) in total length across the Mississippi River, connecting St. Louis with East St. Louis, Illinois. Opened in 1951, the bridge serves as traffic relief connecting the concurrent freeways of Interstate 55, Interstate 64, and U.S. Route 40 with the downtown streets of St. Louis. It was renamed for King in 1968 after the national civil rights leader was assassinated that year.

The bridge was built across the Mississippi River in 1951 as the Veterans' Memorial Bridge to relieve congestion on the MacArthur Bridge to the south. Built as a toll bridge, it was owned by the City of East St. Louis. At one time, it carried U.S. Route 40 and U.S. Route 66 across the river. In 1967, the bridge fell into disrepair after the (free) Poplar Street Bridge was completed; traffic moved to the new bridge, resulting in declining toll revenues needed for maintenance.

Eventually, ownership was transferred dually to the Missouri and Illinois departments of Transportation and the bridge was renamed after Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, after the national civil rights leader was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1987, the states removed the toll for travel across the bridge. A bi-state project for about $24,000,000 to renovate the bridge, at the behest of local civic and government leaders, was carried out in the late 1980s. In the spring of 1989, the rebuilt bridge was reopened. In June 1990, the lighting of the bridge was completed by the St. Louis Port Authority. 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.