I-74 Bridge
Interstate 74 Bridge | |
---|---|
![]() Artist rendering of the new bridge. | |
Coordinates | 41°31′01″N 90°30′38″W / 41.51694°N 90.51056°W |
Carries | 8 lanes of ![]() ![]() |
Crosses | Mississippi River |
Locale | Bettendorf, Iowa and Moline, Illinois |
Official name | Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge |
Characteristics | |
Design | Twin basket-handle, through arch |
History | |
Opened | November 13, 2020 (northbound) December 2, 2021 (southbound) |
Statistics | |
Daily traffic | 80,000[1] |
Location | |
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The Interstate 74 Bridge, officially known as the Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge, and often called The Twin Bridges, or the I-74 Bridge, are basket-handle, through arch twin bridges that carry Interstate 74 across the Mississippi River and connect Bettendorf, Iowa and Moline, Illinois. It is located near the geographic center of the Quad Cities.
Original bridge[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/I-74_Bridge.jpg/250px-I-74_Bridge.jpg)
The original bridge was designed by engineer Ralph Modjeski. The first span opened in 1935 as a toll bridge. In 1961, an identical twin span, built from the same blueprint, opened to facilitate increased traffic demands. The upstream span was the older of the two.[2] Tolls were discontinued in 1970. The twin spans were merged with Interstate 74 in 1975.
Built for a daily crossing of 48,000 vehicles, the daily average grew to 80,000,[1] making it by far the most traveled bridge in the Quad Cities. Both the Interstate 80 and Interstate 280 bridges in the Quad Cities are up to Interstate standards, while the Interstate 74 Bridge was functionally obsolete and was not built to Interstate standards. Each span had two narrow lanes, no shoulder, and a 50-mile-per-hour (80 km/h) speed limit.
While on a tour at the base of the bridge in Bettendorf in May 2012, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that, in comparison with other bridges that he has seen in other states, the I-74 Bridge is one of the worst he's seen.[3][4]
New bridge[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/2019_I-74_Bridge_construction_01.jpg/250px-2019_I-74_Bridge_construction_01.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/2021_I-74_Bridge_construction_02.jpg/250px-2021_I-74_Bridge_construction_02.jpg)
The I-74 Corridor Study was completed to study replacing the old bridge with a larger one with 4 lanes in each direction. The study claimed that the I-74 Bridge project would spur economic growth, create construction jobs, reduce traffic backups, and improve air quality.
Funding for the construction of the new bridge had been earmarked for $22 million in 2017 and $50 million in 2018. Former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said the state is committed to bridge improvements to help traffic flow and "boost economic growth in the region".
As of 2012, the Illinois Department of Transportation also budgeted more than $34 million for engineering, design and land acquisition for the new bridge. The conceptual design of the arch bridge was completed by CH2M Hill and Boston-based bridge designer Miguel Rosales from Rosales + Partners. Final design was completed by Modjeski and Masters in association with Alfred Benesch & Company. The portion of the bridge spanning the Mississippi River was estimated at more than $700 million, while the project as a whole, including all approach routes and connectors, was estimated at $1.2 billion.
The new bridge is just upstream from the old bridge and is a basket-handle, true-arch twin bridge with four lanes in each direction and a pedestrian/bicycle path. A ground-breaking ceremony for the new bridge was held on June 26, 2017. The westbound bridge was expected to be completed in late 2019 and the eastbound span was expected to be completed in late 2020.[5] Winter weather conditions and the resulting high water over an extended period of time, however, created delays and the opening of the first span was pushed to the first half of 2020.
On November 13, 2020, the Iowa-bound side of the new bridge opened to motorists.[6] The bridge was officially dedicated on December 1, 2021. Speakers included Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker and other state and local officials from both Illinois and Iowa.[7] The second span for Illinois-bound traffic was opened the following evening.[8]
See also[]
Transport portal
Engineering portal
Iowa portal
Illinois portal
- List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River
References[]
- ^ a b http://www.helmgroup.com/documents/HelmGroup-Fall2011_CS5.pdf[permanent dead link]
- ^ "I-74 Bridge". bridgehunter.com. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
- ^ Funding Back For I-74 Bridge - KWQC-TV6 News and Weather For The Quad Cities Archived May 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ Staff report (June 26, 2017). "I-74 bridge replacement project applauded by Q-C, state leaders". The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus. East Moline. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ^ Trix, Herb. "Half of New I-74 Bridge Ready to Open". www.wvik.org. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
- ^ Barb Ickes (December 2, 2021). "Spanning the ages: Thousands celebrate the new I-74 bridges". Quad City Times. Davenport. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
- ^ Staff report (December 3, 2021). "Illinois-bound span of I-74 bridge now open to traffic". Quad City Times. Davenport. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to I-74 Bridge. |
- Suspension bridges in Iowa
- Suspension bridges in Illinois
- Bridges over the Mississippi River
- Road bridges in Illinois
- Buildings and structures in Moline, Illinois
- Bettendorf, Iowa
- U.S. Route 6
- Bridges completed in 2020
- Bridges completed in 2021
- Interstate 74
- Bridges on the Interstate Highway System
- Tourist attractions in the Quad Cities
- Bridges in Rock Island County, Illinois
- Bridges in Scott County, Iowa
- Bridges in the Quad Cities
- Road bridges in Iowa
- Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System
- Former toll bridges in Illinois
- Former toll bridges in Iowa
- 1935 establishments in Illinois
- 1935 establishments in Iowa
- Interstate vehicle bridges in the United States