The McKinley Bridge, which held a reopening ceremony to much fanfare about two weeks ago, will open to traffic for real sometime in mid-December, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

About 10,000 motorists are expected to use the McKinley a day — the same number as used it before its closure in 2001. At that time, the bridge was charging tolls: 50 cents each way.

The rebuilt bridge, which will feature one lane for vehicular traffic in each direction, will be free. But the thrills will be gone: The gaping holes in the deck, which allowed motorists to see the river below, have been repaired.

The cost to rehab the bridge was $52 million. The bridge, which also will be available for cyclists and pedestrians, carried Route 66 from the late 1920s to early 1930s, until the Chain of Rocks Bridge was built.