The dedication ceremony for the refurbished McKinley Bridge will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning in Venice at the park and trail head at the foot of the bridge. Afterwards the bridge will officially open for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

The  $45 million renovation, which began in 2004, is  expected to be an economic boon for Venice, Madison and Granite City now that those cities are re-linked to St. Louis via the McKinley Bridge. None of the towns have been easily and quickly accessible to St. Louis since the bridge was  closed in 2001 after being deemed unsafe.

For bicyclists, the bridge offers an opportunity to expand routes. It will now be possible to start on Laclede’s Landing and ride a circuit that includes the McKinley Bridge and the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge. In addition, it will be possible to link up with Madison County’s fabulous 80-mile trail system;  the trailhead of the Schoolhouse Trail is a short ride from the McKinley Bridge.

There will be obstacles for cyclists, at least in the short term. The dedicated bike lane from Branch Street lacks a connector to the Riverfront Trail. 10 Speed recon-ed the area Friday, and while the bike lane — an old railroad access to the bridge — is fabulously repaved, there’s no pavement connecting the lane to Branch Street, just two blocks of old railroad right of way waiting for some asphalt.

In addition, 10 Speed is unsure whether the Madison County’s  Confluence Trail extends farther south in Illinois than  to the Melvin Price Support Center.  If it extends to the bridge,  it would offer an unimpeded trip to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge on the Illinois side of the river. If it doesn’t, a brief ride on  the  shoulder of Illinois Route 3  would be necessary. 10 Speed will recon the area Saturday and provide an update, as well as the specific route to the Schoolhouse Trail trailhead

–30–