A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held this week to celebrate opening the new I-74 Mississippi River Bridge to traffic in the Quad Cities between Iowa and Illinois.
The new I-74 Mississippi River Bridge is anticipated to open to traffic in early December, delivering four lanes in each direction. The bridge includes a 14-ft-wide bike and pedestrian path with a scenic overlook and connections to existing paths in both Bettendorf, Iowa and Moline, Illinois and is anticipated to open by the end of December, according to a press release.
The approximately $1 billion project is the largest in Iowa state history and includes twin river bridges, new interchanges, ramps, and local road reconfigurations to improve mobility and operation, delivering safer and more reliable travel for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians alike. The project is approximately 88.5% federally funded with Iowa and Illinois DOTs funding their land-based contracts, respectively, and splitting the cost of the river bridge.
“This new I-74 Mississippi River Bridge will join our states and communities, will strengthen our region, and will stand tall in welcoming new hope and opportunity to the Quad Cities and beyond for many years to come,” Iowa DOT Director Scott Marler said in a statement.
“The I-74 bridge is yet another example of bold leadership delivering the type of improvements in infrastructure that will keep this region competitive for many, many years to come,” Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman said in a statement. “This beautiful new structure is especially meaningful because of our partnership with Iowa and our work with federal, state, and local stakeholders.”
Connecting the states of Iowa and Illinois, I-74 serves as an important east-west link in the nation's transportation network. The I-74 corridor serves as a primary crossing of the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities area, carrying more than 45% of total vehicular traffic across the river. The I-74 River Bridge project is part of a regional strategy for improving access across the Mississippi River.
Contractors on the project include Lunda Construction Co., Helm Group, McCarthy Improvement, Kraemer North America, Walsh Group, Valley Construction, and Langman Construction. The old suspension bridges are anticipated to be removed in 2022.
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SOURCE: Iowa DOT
