I-74 Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Interstate 74 Bridge |
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New and old bridges in 2022.
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| Coordinates | 41°31′01″N 90°30′38″W / 41.51694°N 90.51056°W |
| Carries | 8 lanes of   I-74 / US 6 |
| Crosses | Mississippi River |
| Locale | Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline, Illinois |
| Official name | Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge |
| Maintained by | Iowa Department of Transportation |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Twin basket-handle, through arch |
| Longest span | 800 ft (244 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | November 13, 2020 (northbound) December 2, 2021 (southbound) |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 80,000 |
The Interstate 74 Bridge, also known as the Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge, is a set of twin bridges. People often call them The Twin Bridges or I-74 Bridge. These bridges cross the mighty Mississippi River.
They connect the cities of Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline, Illinois. You can find them right in the middle of the Quad Cities area. These modern bridges replaced two older ones built in 1935 and 1959. The old bridges were no longer good enough by the 1990s.
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Bridge History: From Old to New
The story of the I-74 Bridge is quite interesting. It shows how cities grow and need better ways to connect. Before these bridges, crossing the Mississippi River in this area was much harder.
Early Bridge Ideas
For a long time, the only bridge in the Tri Cities area was the Government Bridge. This bridge connected Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa. People in Bettendorf and Moline wanted their own bridge.
In 1907, William P. Bettendorf had an idea. He was the founder of the Bettendorf Company and the city's namesake. He wanted to build a toll bridge between Bettendorf and Moline. The U.S. Congress even passed a law allowing private citizens to build bridges for business.
Sadly, Mr. Bettendorf passed away in 1910. His dream of a bridge faded for a while.
Building the First Bridge
The idea for a bridge came back in 1927. In 1931, a group from Davenport formed a commission. They wanted to build the new bridge. However, Moline didn't agree at first.
Also, the Great Depression made it hard to find money. But in February 1934, they finally got the money. Construction began on July 1st of that year.
A famous engineer named Ralph Modjeski designed the bridge. It opened on November 18, 1935. People paid a small fee, or toll, to cross it.
Adding a Second Bridge
After World War II, more and more cars used the bridge. It became very crowded. So, experts studied if they should make the bridge wider or build a second one.
They decided that building a second bridge was the best idea. In 1952, a bill was passed to build this new span. President Harry S. Truman signed it into law.
Construction for the second bridge started on July 1, 1958. It was built very close to the first bridge. This helped avoid tearing down too many old buildings. The second bridge opened on December 22, 1959.
Money from the tolls helped pay for this new bridge. Once it was ready, all traffic moved to the new bridge. The older bridge was then closed for major repairs.
New roads and ramps were built on both sides of the river. This helped traffic flow much better. The older bridge reopened on July 1, 1960. It carried traffic heading west.
Becoming an Interstate Bridge
In 1965, the U.S. government wanted to buy the bridges. They planned to make them part of Interstate 74. The government did not want tolls to be charged anymore.
So, a deal was made. Once enough toll money was collected, the bridges would be updated. They would be made ready for interstate highway traffic.
On December 31, 1969, the U.S. government bought the bridges. Work began in November 1971. The toll booths were removed. The bridges were updated with new guardrails and ramps.
The project faced delays because of funding issues. But on November 26, 1974, the bridges reopened. Interstate 74 was finally routed over them by December 10, 1975. The Iowa and Illinois Departments of Transportation took over their care.
Why a New Bridge Was Needed
The old bridges were built for about 48,000 vehicles a day. But in later years, about 80,000 vehicles crossed daily! This made it the busiest bridge in the Quad Cities.
By the 2010s, the old bridges were not strong enough. They needed constant repairs. They also had narrow lanes and no shoulders. This made driving on them difficult and slow.
In 2012, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood visited the bridge. He said it was "one of the worst" he had seen. It was clear a new bridge was needed.
Studies showed that a new bridge would help the economy. It would create jobs and reduce traffic jams. It would also improve air quality.
The new bridge project was very expensive. It cost over $1.2 billion in total. This included all the new roads leading to the bridge.
Construction for the new bridge officially began on June 26, 2017.
On November 13, 2020, the first side of the new bridge opened. This side carried traffic heading to Iowa. The old bridges were then closed for good. Work then began on the second side of the new bridge.
The new bridge was officially opened on December 1, 2021. Many important people, like Congresswoman Cheri Bustos and Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker, were there. The second side, for traffic heading to Illinois, opened the next evening.
A special path for walking and biking opened on April 27, 2022.
Taking Down the Old Bridges
Once the new bridges were open, the old ones had to be removed. This was a big job! The company in charge started taking them down piece by piece.
On June 18, 2023, parts of the old Illinois-bound bridge were blown up with explosives. This was a controlled demolition. It left only a small part to be removed later.
By July 2023, the Iowa-bound bridge's top structure was gone. Its steel was sold for recycling. On August 27, 2023, more parts of the old bridges were blasted. This included the piers (the supports) on the Illinois side.
The third explosion happened on October 15th, for the Iowa-bound piers. The fourth and final explosion was on February 18, 2024. This removed the last big part of the Illinois side.
A few of the original piers were left in place. Lights were added to them to help boats see them at night.
Images for kids
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The old bridges as seen from the Iowa side of the Mississippi River, before any construction began.
