Metrolink East Riverfront Interlocking Survey

The Eads Bridge was completed in 1874 and was the first steel structure bridge project in the United States. In the 1990’s Metro acquired the rights to the Eads Bridge as a part of its MetroLink light rail system over the Mississippi River, connecting Missouri and Illinois. The bridge has two levels. Dual rail lines run on the lower level through the ornate metalwork. The upper level carries vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic.

After well over a century of use, the bridge required a complete rehabilitation of its steel trusses and superstructure. The rehabilitation was preceded by the construction of an interlocking just west of the East Riverfront MetroLink Station. This interlocking allows MetroLink to operate both eastbound and westbound trains on a single track across the Eads Bridge.

DMA provided 3D Scanning of the entire bridge to gather detailed information necessary for the design of superstructure repairs and for the construction of the interlocking. The 3D scanning process allowed us to obtain detailed information, with no shut down of rail or vehicular traffic operations. Scanned point clouds included detailed information on:

• Roadway profiles
• Rail profiles
• Existing steel, bearing plates, and bolt patterns
• Catenary wires and supports
• Rail / IT communications system components
• Bearing walls
• Vertical and horizontal clearances