Could the Gateway Arch Expand Into Illinois?

Imagine the Gateway Arch National Park stretching out to the east to include riverfront space in East St. Louis, Illinois. This is a plan that has been brought back from the past for the third time now. Will the third time be the charm?

No foul if this is the first you’re hearing about it. I didn’t know either, and I grew up in the metro east area. Apparently, the original plans from back in the 1940s included space on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. Obviously, that never happened. Then, in the early 1990s funding was set aside by congress to expand the grounds to the east. Again, nothing ever happened. Could this be the time to make this happen?

Directly across from the Gateway Arch grounds in East St. Louis is Draft Kings Casino Queen and Hotel complex. Next to that is Cargill’s East St. Louis facility. It’s not small. Then to the south you have Malcolm Martin Memorial Park with the Mississippi River Overlook and the Gateway Geyser that was built to shoot a water stream 630 feet into the air – the same height as the Gateway Arch. The fountain has not been functioning since early 2024.

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Plans are being put together that may include transportation across the river from park to park. Would that be a monorail? Ferry? Skyway? Who knows at this point. Just know that the National monument to highlight westward expansion wants to expand to the east.