1926-1936

— The McKinley Bridge - First Route 66 path across the mighty Mississippi River —

From Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 was routed over the streets of cities and towns both large and small. Thus its nickname "The Main Street of America." In Illinois, the first state to have all of Route 66 paved, the infamous highway was routed along Illinois Route 4, which at the time ran almost all of its 301 miles in the state. Of course, to make the transition to Missouri, the highway had to traverse the Mississippi River.

The American Association of State Highway Officials' first choice for Route 66 to span the Mississippi River was the Municipal "Free" Bridge (later named the MacArthur Bridge). Route 66 would run through the Tri-Cities along Madison Avenue then Broadway in Venice. It would turn south on Fourth Street and continue to East St. Louis where it would cross the river and contuinue through St. Louis, but a portion of the roadway at the southern Madison County border was not yet paved, so the McKinley Bridge was selected for the path of Route 66.

During the summer of 1929, the unpaved portion of the roadway towards the Municipal Bridge was completed and AASHO rerouted the highway south on Fourth Street and over that bridge. The Route across the McKinley Bridge was then designated "Optional Route 66" by the Auto Club of Missouri, which was responsible for naming and routing highways in Missouri and also



produced maps to be used by motorists in the area.

Erected by the Venice History Committee 2017
www.venicememories.org

Venice - Established 1841, Chartered-1897

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