The Iowa and Illinois departments of transportation and the Federal Highway Administration recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the $1 billion I-74 Mississippi River Bridge to traffic.
I-74 is the primary Mississippi River crossing in the Quad Cities area – Moline, East Moline, and Rock Island, Ill., and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa. The corridor carries more than 45 percent of total vehicular traffic across the river.
The new bridge features four lanes in each direction and a 14-foot-wide bike and pedestrian path with a scenic overlook. The path connects to existing paths in Moline and Bettendorf.
Other features of the new bridge include twin, basket-handle arches standing approximately 164 feet above the roadway; two full-size shoulders; LED, color-changing lights; local road reconfigurations to improve mobility; and new interchanges and ramps.
Construction began in 2017. The federal government funded approximately 88.5 percent of the project, with Illinois and Iowa splitting the remaining costs.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman, and Iowa Department of Transportation Director Scott Marler made public remarks.
“The I-74 River Bridge is a testament to what is possible when we work together to build a better Midwest,” Pritzker said.