The eighty-four-year-old Route 66 Meramec River Bridge nearly faced demolition in 2017 because of serious deterioration, but a joint effort by local stakeholders led Missouri State Parks to accept ownership in order to save it. Additional funding is still needed to preserve the structure and create a lasting cultural asset. Already an international attraction for Route 66 and architecture enthusiasts, the bridge could help transform the surrounding area and reconnect visitors to both sides of the four-hundred-twenty-four-acre park, a link considered vital to expanding the Meramec River Greenway trail. Preserving and rehabilitating the bridge would protect the area's cultural history, reconnect visitors to natural resources and recreational opportunities, and pass this piece of history to the next generation, with possible new uses including a soda shop, a drive-in theater, and events on the bridge such as eagle watching. The bridge's steel was made by Stupp Bros. Bridge and Iron Company, a family business founded in 1856 by German immigrant Johann Stupp and now known as Stupp Bros., Inc. In 2016, Judith and Philip Stupp joined the movement to save the bridge after Judith learned of its proposed demolition, and today the Stupp Bros. Bridge and Iron Co. Foundation supports the Route 66 Meramec River Bridge initiative by raising money to refurbish it.
