Plans for a bridge at Chester spanning the Mississippi River began in 1938, and construction started in 1941 and was completed in 1942 at a cost of $1,385,000. The bridge was 2,826 feet long with two 670 foot center spans, and a Bridge Commission formed by the City of Chester governed and operated the bridge and toll facility. On a stormy night in July 1944, a windstorm of tornadic force caused the two center spans to collapse into the river. Toll taker L.F. Jones noticed the lights went out, called for service, realized the bridge had gone down, and was able to stop traffic, so no one was injured. Rebuilding took two years, and the bridge reopened in 1946. Since then it has been a major Mississippi River crossing, with the nearest bridges at Cape Girardeau, MO, and St. Louis, MO, each an hour away. The last toll was taken on New Year's Eve 1989, and the bridge remains free today. Except during the flood of 1993, it has not been closed since the 1946 dedication.