riverfront bridge park

When does a bridge become a tourist attraction? When it’s a well-designed bridge that crosses the Mississippi River, connecting Missouri and Illinois.The Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge connects Cape Girardeau (MO) and East Cape Girardeau (IL). It’s a cable-stayed bridge, which means that it uses at least two pylons to house cables that support the deck.The bridge is attractive. We crossed over to the Illinois side for a photo opp. Looking straight ahead toward the bridge, the cables give a shiny white impression while the pylons create the letter H.Cape Girardeau was creative in developing the bridge as an attraction. The city has combined a small walking park with a portion of the old bridge as an overlook. Visitors can spend a considerable amount of time in the area. A short jaunt up river and you are in the riverfront and downtown area. It presents a nice walking opportunity.The Emerson Bridge replaced the old Cape Girardeau Bridge in 2003. It took 15 years to get the bridge approved and designed. Then, in 1996, construction started. Seven years later – following several delays – it opened to the public.The bridge is named after Missouri Rep. Bill Emerson. He served in the United States House of Representatives 1981-96, when he passed away. The bridge is beautiful to view during sunset. The pinks and other hues of the setting sun provide a beautiful background to the lit bridge.The old bridge was built in 1927. It was a continuous truss bridge - extended without hinges or joints across three or more supports. I think it was ingenious of the area to keep the Missouri-side of the bridge entrance intact. It allowed for a memorial to the old bridge to be created, along with the Mississippi River overlook. A few feet east stands a smaller overlook. Visitors can take a short walk along the park grounds near the river. The bridge park area is worth spending some time at. On a nice day or evening, it is a great place to see the river and its offerings.

I thought there would be more of a park, but it's really just an inclined ramp that has a view of the bridge. The old town adjacent is run down. Was hoping for cute shops and charm. Views of the water are scarce because of the retaining wall, though there is a break in it that allows a nice view of the water.

just ok is about all I can say about it. a lot of money spent to see the Mississippi River. Other than that there isn't much there.

Only a couple of miles from the I-55 you get a nice view of the Mississippi, including some of the famous mud banks to the South.The view point and the small park is placed where the old bridge used to span the river, a quarter mile north of the new 4-lane bridge.Take the time and watch the Ol' Man River from here to supplement the views you get in eg. Memphis and Saint Louis.

We happened across the Old Mississippi River Bridge Scenic Overlook & Park while bicycle riding. It was clean & nicely landscaped. As we strolled the area, we enjoyed reading interpretive panels about the bridges (original/new one), Old St. Vincent's School for Boys (now SEMO St U River Campus), & a chance to see MOs oldest American Beech tree purported to have been growing at the time of the Louisiana Purchase. For those of you who geocache, you might find one in this area. The Glenn House is just 1/2 block from the old bridge; check for days & times it is open. Great place for a picnic.

This is a simple area, which was once the entrance to the old bridge, which has been demolished. You can have a nice view of Mississippi River and also the new bridge. There are some old but very nice houses in the neighborhood.

Very nice place to visit and the view is just wonderful. This would be great in the fall. Nice river walk.

The park is laid out around the western abutement of the old Cape Girardeau bridge across the Mississippi. The bridge had been removed leaving only the old brick approach structure. You can take a quiet stroll under huge bay trees and view the new river bridge that stands just to the South. An excellent overview of the river and you're quite likely to see some river barge traffic going by. Very near to old downtown and the city's flood wall. A nice afternoon destination.

Quiet, pretty park with a nice view of the river and the new bridge.

This is a tranquil little park, part of the River Campus. The remains of the old bridge that used to cross the Mississippi, which I can remember crossing as a little girl, are there, it's now a sort of lookout. You have a nice view of the new bridge, which is a beautiful new suspension bridge, and a great view of the river. There are also several plaques telling the history of the area.

This park is really great. I saw the area after the old Mississippi River bridge was demolished. All that was left was the first 100 foot section of the concrete ramp, and there was about a 15 straight drop-off at the top. Underneath was trash and graffiti. Pretty bad.Not too long after that visit, I happened by on my way to the River Campus and was blown away by the positive change! Whoever did the design work on the renovation really made a connection between the old bridge, new bridge, the new River Campus, and the river itself. Quite something to see in such a small community. There are really two observation areas, one from the section of old bridge, and one from the new overlook. At the overlook, there is a binocular viewer that is great to look at passing boats on the river, and the new bridge.If you have the chance, stop by this obscure gem and spend some time looking at the river, the neatly restored lights, terra cotta plaque, and flagpoles on the old section, and taking a stroll past the nearby champion beech tree!Well done, indeed!

This bridge park is just south of downtown Cape Girardeau, and affords a nice view of the new Mississippi River bridge, along with any river traffic floating by. The park is actually the old Missouri 74 bridge approach and support pilings. These have been made into an observation area, and the land to the south of it is a nice park to stroll in, or sit and watch the river go by. Reaching the park is easy from downtown Cape, or from I-55. Just take Missouri 74, at Exit 99, and it leads you directly to the new bridge. Turn at the red light just before going over the bridge (Fountain Street), and then turn right onto Morgan Oak Street. This is old MO 74. Directly ahead you will see the yellowish old bridge observation area. Behind this is the main observation area, but there are only four parking spaces here, along with one handicap spot. Overall, it makes for a nice stopover if you have the time.