I-74 Bridge

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Interstate 74 Bridge
I-74 bridge replacement - Architect Rendering - 04.jpg
Artist rendering of the new bridge.
Coordinates41°31′01″N 90°30′38″W / 41.51694°N 90.51056°W / 41.51694; -90.51056
Carries8 lanes of I-74 / US 6
CrossesMississippi River
LocaleBettendorf, Iowa and Moline, Illinois
Official nameIowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge
Characteristics
DesignTwin basket-handle, through arch
History
OpenedNovember 13, 2020 (northbound)
December 2, 2021 (southbound)
Statistics
Daily traffic80,000[1]
Location

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[]

The old bridges as seen from the Iowa side of the Mississippi River

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[]

Construction of the new bridge in 2019.
Construction of the nearly completed bridge in 2021.

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[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b http://www.helmgroup.com/documents/HelmGroup-Fall2011_CS5.pdf[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "I-74 Bridge". bridgehunter.com. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  3. ^ Funding Back For I-74 Bridge - KWQC-TV6 News and Weather For The Quad Cities Archived May 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Trix, Herb. "Half of New I-74 Bridge Ready to Open". www.wvik.org. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  7. ^ Barb Ickes (December 2, 2021). "Spanning the ages: Thousands celebrate the new I-74 bridges". Quad City Times. Davenport. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  8. ^ 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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